Journalist Alan Nixon has linked the Imps with Sheffield United striker William Osula.
Nixon’s news is usually accurate, and he’s suggested that we’re looking to take the player on loan, with Burton and MK Dons also in the mix. What’s interesting is it seems to conflict with the news we heard yesterday that City are looking to add a wide player and a midfielder to their ranks, not a striker. Still, it’s a blue-tick journalist, so I think it’s worth having a quick look at.
19-year-old Osula is known (partly) to Imps fans, as he netted in our pre-season games against the Blades. He came through the youth ranks at FC Copenhagen, before a 2018 switch to Bramall Lane. He signed his first professional deal in July 2021, and has since appeared five times in the Championship, without a goal. He is eliglbe to play for Denmark and England, and has a Danish Under 19 cap to his name; he appeared as they lost 3-2 to Hungary earlier this year.
What is interesting is the bigger clubs that have seemingly also monitored the youngster. The Sheffield Star believes Liverpool and Newcastle have eyed the striker, and they suggested a loan move to a League One club could help his development. They did suggest Burton Albion would be a good place for the youngster – Jimmy Hasselbaink had Daniel Jebbison on loan from the Blades last season and is likely to be at the front of the queue this time around.
My only worry here is whether we’d be able to give Osula enough game time to please Sheffield United. Tom Hopper, our captain and current top scorer in the League, is going to play 90% of matches, and then we have Ben House, Freddie Draper and Charlie Kendall to name but three waiting for game time. Wingers rotate much more freely, but Tom Hopper isn’t going to be rotated and any striker wanting to impress is going to have to bide his time.
Also, we have three loans currently, and if we do loan Alex Gilbey, as expected, and a winger, then we’d be up to quota. I think there’s a bit of fire around this smoke, but I can’t see us sealing a deal for Osula unless it comes to the final 24 hours or so and things haven’t quite panned out as we expected.