After a few months of speculation, it has been confirmed today that striker Freddie Draper has been recalled from his loan at Walsall.
The 19-year-old has been the subject of many column inches in recent weeks, given his outstanding 2023. He joined the Saddlers in July and returned to City as their top scorer, having netted 10 times and provided three assists in 23 matches, including hitting a hat trick at Newport County in October. That came on the back of a successful loan with Drogheda United in the League of Ireland, where he struck eight times and became the league’s youngest player this century to pick up the Player of the Month award.
As far as 2023 goes, there are few players, if any, on our books that have had quite the same level of success as Freddie, and he returns to the Imps at a time when we desperately need a strong forward to lead the line.
“Freddie’s had an unbelievable 2023, scoring 18 goals and therefore, with our change of head coach, it was a no brainer to recall him,” Imps director of football Jez George said.
“Freddie joined Walsall as an 18-year-old, so to establish himself as their No.9 and score 10 goals in half a season in just one league lower is a fantastic achievement and tells you everything about Freddie’s mentality and ability. Michael Skubala has watched him extensively and believes he has a big role to play for us in the second half of our season and beyond.
“Finally, I would like to thank Walsall, their ownership, staff, fans and, in particular, Mat Sadler for how they have backed Freddie throughout, from the moment they identified him as a target. Mat is an extremely talented young coach and clearly cares about his players and their development. We wish Mat and his team well at Southampton on Saturday and for the rest of their season.”
Draper arrived at the Imps, having been on the books of Derby as a youth. He penned his first full-time deal just after his 17th birthday in July 2021. A couple of months later, he made his debut at Hillsborough as we drew 1-1 with Sheffield Wednesday.
Michael Appleton was a big fan of Draper, and he made nine appearances for the club at the tail end of the year, three of those as starts in League One. After the transfer window closed, he joined Gainsborough on loan.
The change of manager signalled a challenging time for the forward – he scored his first Imps goal after coming off the bench against Newcastle Under 21s but was part of the side eliminated from the FA Cup by Chippenham. That clearly turned Mark Kennedy off the striker, and a single minute against Bristol Rovers concluded his time under of former head coach. He was loaned at to Drogheda at the start of 2023. His form in Ireland earned him a new ‘long-term’ contract in July before his switch to Walsall.
He returns to the Imps on the same day Jack Vale departs, with his current fitness situation unclear. He was withdrawn from Walsall’s 6-1 victory against Grimsby due to an injury, and whilst that isn;t believed to be serious, he does have a week to recover before our trip to Wycombe on January 13th.
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