Over the last few years, City have been linked with a lot of players.
Some we have signed, some we have not. Some are probably players we were interested in; others were likely to have been journalist chatter. Either way, it interested me to know exactly who we may have looked at and where they are now.
So, for today’s special article, I’ve gone back through the rumours and whispers to let you know where the players we’ve been linked with are right now. This is a two-part article and the first covers players we were linked with during Michael Appleton’s reign, leading into the summer of 2022. A second article is planned for the Kennedy era when I have a bit more time!
These are players we didn’t sign, despite being linked. Where are they now? How have they done in the meantime?
Tennai Watson
One of the players linked with us two summers ago, during the infamous Adelakun/Maguire/N’Lundulu window, was Tennai Watson, courtesy of Football League World. He is a right back who, at the time, was on the books of Reading. Instead, Watson moved to ambitious MK Dons, and almost secured promotion in his first season. However, in his second season there, the club were relegated and he moved on with 70 appearances to his name.
Last week, the full-back signed for Charlton, the first League One side to dismiss their manager.
Lee Bonis
Lee Bonis was a player that Alan Nixon credited us with an interest in back in the summer of 2021. The then 22-year-old had been on trial with Burnley and was considered hot property. It was reported our interest cooled when the transfer fee began to creep up, leaving Bonis in Ireland.
He then signed for Larne for £100,000, the same club Jeff Hughes came to Lincoln from and has gone from strength to strength. He’s now 24 and has 22 goals from 50 outings for the club, as well as a Northern Ireland call-up. That’s prompted plenty of clubs to have a look; Blackpool, Birmingham, Wigan and Portsmouth were all credited with interest in April, whilst Bolton were told £300,000 would buy him.
As yet, nobody has taken the plunge.