Club Hint At Marquee Signing Debut Against Chesterfield

September 3, 2024 Gary Headlines, Lincoln City, News 0

Credit Chris Vaughan

The idea of a ‘marquee signing’ is one I’m not a huge fan of, as all signings are as important as each other in a big machine.

However, a Swedish Under 21 international, used to playing in front of 25,000 people, is a marquee signing. Not least because the fans of his former club, AIK, unfurled a banner honouring him when he left. It’s a big capture, and thanks to clearance coming through, he is now eligible to play for the Imps.

Usually, the EFL Trophy, is not a headline event, but a tweet from the club has made me wonder if perhaps we might see Erik Ring making his debut against Chesterfield this evening. The club have put out the usual tweet promoting the match, but for the main image, they’ve used our new recruit. Is this a clever hint on their behalf? Could we see Erik make his debut this evening?

I’ll confess I’m not usually a big fan of the EFL Trophy until we get past the group stages, but it is intriguing. Playing Under 21s isn’t always enjoyable, but with a squad of 26, I think it takes on more importance. This is the competition where we’ll see Lewis Montsma regaining his fitness. It’s where we’ll see Freddie Draper staking a claim for a first-team place, where JJ McKiernan will get a good hour or so. Tom Hamer will almost certainly start, given he was on media duties, but which of our three keepers will get a game?

Given the prize money added into the equation, this is a really fascinating competition for us this season, but it could also be a watershed moment. It could be the first time we get to see Erik Ring, a young man we’ve worked hard to bring here, flying across to Stockholm, trying so much to impress.

Credit Chris Vaughan

I’ll give you a little peak behind the curtain here – I got to speak to a club official at the open training day, as I was trying to get some interviews sorted. While I was with them, there was a discussion about a player I now know to be Ring. Calls were set up with AIK, and while I didn’t know it at the time, it was the early knockings of the transfer. When I asked how likely it was, I was told the club was surprised it was possible at all, given the player’s quality. That’s quite exciting, without trying to put pressure on the wide man.

Will tonight be the first glimpse we get of a young man who could go on to be a solid first-team player?