Lincoln City are reportedly weighing up a move for former Millwall skipper Shaun Hutchinson as the experienced defender considers his next step.
The Imps are joined by AFC Wimbledon in the race for the free agent, who has also had interest from League Two clubs, according to SportsBoom.
Imps Allegedly Eye Veteran Centre-Back
The immaculately-named Hutchinson, 34, was released by Millwall earlier this summer after seven years at The Den. He featured 268 times for the Lions, with 251 of those coming in the Championship, and built a reputation as a reliable leader in the heart of defence. His time in East London included promotion from League One in 2017, when he scored a dramatic final-day goal against Bristol Rovers that paved the way for play-off success at Wembley.
The centre-half began his career at Motherwell, where he made 121 appearances in the Scottish Premiership, before moving to Fulham. A transfer to Millwall followed in 2016, and he quickly became a mainstay in their backline. Last season, he featured just 11 times in all competitions, nine of which came in the second tier, before his release was confirmed.
Millwall Praise as Hutchinson Moves On
— Shaun Hutchinson (@shaunhutchy23) May 21, 2025
His departure was described as inevitable by Millwall’s director of football Steve Gallen, but the praise for Hutchinson’s contribution was fulsome.
“On and off the pitch, Shaun has been a fantastic leader for many years and a great servant to Millwall,” said Gallen. “As we enter into our ninth consecutive Championship season, his goal against Bristol Rovers to secure the play-offs must always be remembered as one of the biggest in our history.
“We would all like to thank him for his outstanding contribution over the past nine years. Shaun will always be welcome at our football club.”
That legacy leaves Hutchinson with no shortage of suitors. His wealth of experience, leadership qualities, and calmness at the back mark him out as one of the more attractive free agents currently on the market.
If there is interest, the Imps and Wimbledon have until Monday, 1st September to get a deal done, and the race for his signature looks set to heat up in the coming weeks.
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Is it Viable?
There are a couple of things to note here.
Firstly, the report is from SportsBoom, which is a site that acts as a betting affiliate. They need to drive traffic to their site, and an exclusive will do that. Usually, a story like this will be sent out to the aggregators (The 72, FLW, Real EFL) for publication, but with the proviso that SportsBoom are linked. This hasn’t been sent to me today, but I have linked in the intro, which is a News Now prerequisite when aggregating news.
Also, the same outlet linked us with Jake Batty a week or two ago. That could mean our name got them decent traffic so they went again, or that there is something to this. We didn’t sign Batty, but as yet, nobody has, so that wasn’t a good or bad story.
Also, Hutchinson said he wanted to return closer to the north east after leaving Millwall – that wouldn’t include Wimbledon. If they’re not actually in the running, is this a non-story?
Finally, there is the question of whether we need another centre back. If Montsma’s injury is a longer one, then we do just have the four: Bradley, Towler, Hamer and Jackson. That’s to fill two spots, assuming we get a left back. Hamer could be considered cover at right back, so we might be hedging our bets.
My guess? I don’t think Shaun will become the fifth Hutchinson to represent the Imps (sixth, if you count the variation Hutchison, which I do not).