
The Imps have completed the signing of Tom Hopper from Southend United for an undisclosed fee.
The 26-year-old pens a deal with the club that runs until the summer of 2023 and takes the number of strikers on the books to four, although Michael Appleton has suggested that might change by the time the transfer window closes in a week’s time.
Hopper has plenty of Football League experience, spending all of his career in League One after emerging at Leicester City. He appeared three times for Leicester and enjoyed loan spells with Bury and Scunthorpe United before signing at Glanford Park permanently in 2015.
He made 131 appearances for the Iron, scoring 27 goals boasting 15 assists, before joining Southend in the summer of 2018. It was believed he was an Imps’ target in January 2018, but two goals in two games convinced Scunthorpe to keep him at the club. It was also believed he was close to an Imps’ deal in the summer of 2018, but chose League One Southend instead.
Since joining the struggling Shrimpers, Hopper has scored 10 goals and added three assists in 29 appearances, as well as having dealt with an injury that kept him out for a year.
“He’s at a very good age,” manager Michael Appleton said in this mornig’s press conference.
“He probably looks fitter now than he’s ever been at any stage of his career. He’s gone through an injury layoff, which sometimes isn’t a bad thing for players.
“I know that from personal experience because, from a mentality point of view, it takes you to places you don’t really want to go to. I’ve watched him a few times this season for Southend live and I’ve been really impressed. I think he’ll be a fantastic addition to the football club.”
We’ve covered Hopper fairly extensively this week, so to read more please have a look at the links below.
Imps bid accepted for Tom Hopper – analysis
Tom Hopper profile – opinion video and stats from his Southend stint
Well done Gary for getting the news out first! I bet you were sitting outside the manager’s office 24/7 to make sure!
We now have 3 strikers who can actually run about at speed as well as play football! What a change – in early summer 2019 we only had 2 strikers and neither was very mobile!
Could be an interesting acquisition to work amongst the strikers here already. He doesn’t create the commotion a “marquee signing” might but the manager knows better than most of the 8-10,000 attending every week, including me!
Your favourite contributor is back!
I’ve read a few of your posts regarding Tom Hopper and most of them pretty accurate – one key detail I think you missed (and you wouldn’t be expected to know) is that he has a relegation release clause in his contract. Looking at our position, it was either 150k now or nothing in the summer and we have to be realistic. There’s definitely been no ire aimed at our media team or any of our club staff who have continued to work despite late payments and court winding up orders – we have bigger areas to direct our frustrations.
You rightly pointed out that he is more the type of player to do the donkey work and open up space for a strike partner. Pretty lethal finisher from close range and composure to boot. Good move for all involved, we need the money, good move for him as it gives him a better platform to spring from than we can in League 2, and he’ll support you on the outside chance of making play-offs which I hope you do.
On a side-note, well done on a significantly more tempered player announcement than the Jack Payne one. Your “Range Rover Evoque” comment was a moment of true humour for us Southend fans on what has been an utterly depressing season so thank you for that. And alas now, as you were told it would, he has unsurprisingly petered away in to nothingness.