It’s being reported that Ryley Towler is undergoing a medical with the Imps today after we agreed a fee with Portsmouth.
According to reports from Football Insider, we have seen off competition from Luton Town and Huddersfield Town to secure his signature. The 23-year-old played ten times in the Championship last season for Pompey.
It’s no secret that Michael is keen to strengthen the defence ahead of the upcoming campaign, with the left side being a particular trouble spot. However, we have been playing a 4-2-3-1, with a proper left-back, and that is the position we really need to fill. The former Bristol City defender predominantly plays left centre back, the same position as Sonny Bradley.
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Towler featured sporadically for Portsmouth during the 2024/25 Championship campaign, primarily playing at left centre-back. Across these appearances, his duel success rate hovered around 65%, and he was involved in an average of 11.7 duels per game. While aerially competent, his success rate was slightly less dominant at just under 67%, but he showed commitment in ground battles and made double-digit recoveries and interceptions in several matches.
On the ball, Towler’s passing accuracy varied but remained largely solid. He averaged over 37 passes per game with an accuracy above 80%, peaking at 92% against Sunderland in August. His long passing output was also notable, with over four attempts per match, though accuracy here was more inconsistent.
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Defensively, Towler’s positioning and reading of the game were demonstrated in his interception numbers and ball recovery stats, particularly strong against high-intensity opponents like Sunderland and Coventry. He was disciplined in his own half, with relatively low loss rates under pressure, and his tackling was generally effective. His disciplinary record was clean—no red cards, and only a minimal number of bookings across over 1,000 minutes.
Before anyone says ‘but we need a left back’, I have delved deeper into his past performances and discovered something interesting – he can play in the holding midfield role. He played three matches there for AFC Wimbledon back in late 2022, as well as making a handful of early appearances for Bristol City at left back. They’re two areas we probably need to recruit in, and while I’m certainly not suggesting we’re signing him for either position, I found it intriguing that he has played there.
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A note on him playing at left-back. Grimsby fans seemingly rated him, with posters on the Fishy saying there were times he ‘looked fantastic’. A word of warning – they also suggested an outing against Dagenham at left-back effectively ended his Blundell Park spell.