The Imps have announced the first signing of the summer, with Conor McGrandles returning for a third spell with the club.
The experienced midfielder spent last season on loan at the Imps from Charlton Athletic, having previously been a part of the team that reached the League One Play-Off Final in 2021. He has once again committed his future to City after penning an initial two-year contract.
Conor made 91 competitive appearances over a two-year period after first signing on a permanent deal in the summer of 2020, and in 2021, you voted him as Stacey West Player of the Season, ahead of Brennan Johnson and Jorge Grant. He regularly took the captain’s armband the following season at the club.
He returned last season on Deadline Day, and turned in a handful of impressive performances before injury ended his spell early. Rather than return to Charlton, he rehabilitated with us, and has been at the EPC in recent weeks getting back to fitness.
Conor said: “It’s brilliant to be back. I really enjoyed my time on loan last season so when the club showed interest in me this is what I wanted to do.
“There was a lot of faith shown in me when I got injured. The club offered to do all my rehab which shows the care for people here. I am really grateful for the way the fans took to me when I came back. I know how good the atmosphere is here and it’s something I’m really looking forward to experiencing throughout the season.”
City’s head coach Michael Skubala said: “Conor had a big effect on performances and results having signed on loan before his unfortunate injury curtailed his season.
“Just as important though was Conor’s impact off the pitch, setting standards in training and with his professionalism every day at the EPC. We feel Conor can make a big contribution moving forward within our young group and we are delighted to bring him back to the club on a permanent basis.”
There will be some out there who use words like underwhelming today, but not me. I thought he was a good signing on Deadline Day, and I think he is now. he’s a capable midfielder, adding real quality to our current pairing of Ethan Erhahon and Ethan Hamilton. He also told us at the end of the season that he was due to return to full fitness at the end of May, meaning he should be fit and firing, ready to go for the first game of next season.
There is no information on the fee, but one would assume that if there has been a fee, it will be a nominal amount, as he has been deemed surplus to requirements by the Addicks, whom he joined after leaving the Imps. Now, I wonder if Alex Mitchell is watching and seeing the fallacy in choosing Charlton over the Imps…..
As far as I’m aware, that concludes a really busy 90 minutes in the world of the Imps – we’ll be live on YouTube at 5:30 with our 300th podcast, covering the day’s events in more detail.
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