Exclusive: Lincoln City Sporting Director Makes Player Exit Admission

Defender Lewis Montsma could be on his way out of Lincoln City this winter, hunting minutes elsewhere.

In news coming exclusively from the Stacey West, sporting director Jez George has admitted that Lewis may be one who heads out of the club this transfer window. He speaks about this, and a range of other transfer window issues, in a special YouTube video coming up at 6 pm this afternoon on the club’s official channel.

The popular Dutch defender was one of the stories of the 2020/21 season, scoring goals early doors and seeing his reputation rise. After a stuttering start for the club in 2021/22, he picked up an ACL injury, ruling him out for over a year.

When he returned, he was back for just a couple of games before picking up a second ACL injury, which kept him out for an even longer period. He came back at the start of last season against Arsenal Under 21s, and has been on the fringes of the first team ever since.

This season, despite a strong outing against Chelsea, he hasn’t been given league minutes. He hasn’t been seen since the Salford City FA Cup game, where he was muscled off the ball by Dan Udoh late on in the build-up to their late leveller.

The lack of minutes is clearly something the club has to manage, with the 27-year-old still at an age where he has something to offer. Given his long spells out of the game, it makes sense that he wants regular football.

“The one player we need to be open about is Lewis Montsma,” Jez says in the video, due to drop at 6 pm. “He’s been here longer than anyone, come back from two ACL injuries, and we’re proud of how the club’s looked after him.

“He’s fit and training every day, but he wants to play football. With the depth we have, it’s right to help Lewis find a club where he can play regularly.”

While we may see Lewis depart, and undoubtedly with the backing of Imps fans who want to see him succeed, it is unlikely we’ll see any other players leave. The club’s intention is to keep the squad together, so rumours of players going to League Two for big money are, for now, just that. Rumours.

“Our intent is absolutely not to sell players,” added Jez “We know how hard the second half of the season will be. The last thing we want to do is weaken the group. Our aim is to strengthen, not weaken.”

Whatever the future holds for Lewis, there will always be a special place for him with Lincoln City fans, as his recovery, twice, has been a reflection of the grit and determination he showed on the field.

Don’t forget to tune into the club’s YouTube channel at 6pm this evening for a first look at Jez’s full interview.