The Imps have reportedly rebuffed a bit from Plymouth Argyle for defender Paudie O’Connor.
It’s not the first Paudie story this transfer window, nor this season, and it comes hot on the heels of news he’s in contract discussions. TalkSPORT journalist Alex Crook seems to be the source of today’s report (Pete O’Rourke will be gutted) and the fee is alleged to be around £250,000.
Understand #PAFC have had a £250,000 offer rejected by #LincolnCity for Paudie O’Connor. Expect them to bid again.
— Alex Crook ⚽️🎙 (@alex_crook) January 23, 2025
To be brutally honest, I’m not sure the club would turn down that bid, given the current circumstances. Paudie is our captain, but a quarter of a million for a player who could walk away for free in six months? My take is that if there is a bid, and we have turned down the offer, then it is a real signal of intent in the play-off race – we clearly think we’re still in with a good shout of the top six and are willing to forgo a really good offer for a player we’ll lose in order to facilitate that push.
What’s Likely?
Firstly, it is possible O’Connor is a target for Plymouth; I’m not going to dispute that. However, £250,000? No, I can’t see a bid of that size being rebuffed instantly. I do wonder if the figures are accurate, as that does appear quite rare in today’s sensationalist reporting market.
What I would say is that this report is very specific – it’s not three clubs, and there’s an actual number, real or perceived. I strongly suspect that means that there is a certain element of truth to the report. I wouldn’t rule out further interest in O’Connor before the end of the window.
There’s another factor here – my EFL Fantasy Football League kiss of death. I have been a Jonah for a host of players and clubs – I picked Erhahon the week he was sent off, I picked Jodi Jones and Dan Crowley both in weeks they were injured. I even picked Erhahon when he went off injured early in a game, and last week I backed Bolton to have a good week, resulting in their manager being sacked!
This week, I’ve picked Paudie O’Connor. Just saying…..
Comments Welcome!