One of the biggest names to come out of the Bank in modern times, Jovon Makama, has seen his excellent first season in the Championship curtailed by injury.
The Imps’ first £1m player has been on fire for Norwich, bagging 13 goals in 31 matches in the second tier. Arguably, he is the most successful export from the academy ever in terms of price, and certainly one who has made the step up easiest in recent times. You probably have to go back to Darren Huckerby to find a player who transitioned as easy from Lincoln to the upper echelons of football.
He’s seen as one who could easily go on again after Norwich, and with us protected in terms of sell-ons, we have a huge interest in his progression with the Canaries. After exploding onto the scene as they struggled, he became the focal point of this attack. Sadly, he came off against Blackburn Rovers, replaced by £2.6m capture Mohamed Toure from Randers. Toure quickly netted in that game and bagged a hat trick last night in Makama’s absence.
Reporter Chris Goreham has now revealed that Makama has broken his foot, and like last season, will miss the final matches as a result. It isn’t 100% confirmed that he will miss all of the campaign, but it appears likely. It’s a huge blow for the youngster, who many were tipping for another move in the summer, perhaps even to the Premier League.
It does mirror his injury record last season for us. He bagged 11 in 45 for us in League One, but missed the final month of the 2024/25 season with an injury, meaning his last outing at the Bank came in the 1-0 win against Huddersfield in early April. Supporters didn’t get to say goodbye, although he did play in our pre-season campaign, meaning his final appearance in a Lincoln shirt came as we beat West Brom in a friendly.
Jovon became our first £1m player when he moved to Norwich City for a fee believed to be in the region of £1.4m, plus add-ons. It’s understood if he hits his performance triggers, we could get well in excess of £2m from his sale, not including any future sell-on.