Alfie Lloyd has certainly been catching the eye of Lincoln City supporters with some highly energetic cameos for the Imps this season.
Lloyd came from QPR not long after the same side agreed to sign Justin Obikwu, meaning he was recalled by Coventry City. There was a fear that the quick turnaround meant we might have got a downgrade on Obikwu. The club rated him highly and were keen to work with him until the end of the season.
Instead, we bagged Lloyd, a player who had made minimal impact at Leyton Orient thanks to injuries. Ryan Oné, something of a marquee capture, arrived soon after, and that could have further diminished the need for Lloyd.
That hasn’t been the case. The striker has had a great impact, chipping in with an assist (for Oné) at Plymouth and, most recently, a goal against Stockport County, celebrated with such gusto that he got himself a yellow card in the process.
He’s been a name on the lips of Imps fans for a few weeks now for his energy and willingness to run, and Michael Skubala said after the win this weekend that he has the same enthusiasm in training.
“He’s been excellent since he’s come here,” he said in his post-match press conference. “He’s obviously a loan player but he feels like one of ours. He works so hard every day, trains so hard and he’s ready when he comes on.”
He’s got a couple of goal involvements, but sometimes you just see something: a willingness to harass, an eager determination and work ethic. Fans know it when they see it, and Michael Skubala does too.
“It’s not just the performances. You see him hassle defenders and make it very difficult for them when he gets on the pitch. It’s great to see.
“For me it’s really pleasing he gets his goal because he’s been trying to get one for a while.”
For now, Alfie Lloyd is the loan man, coming on, affecting games and making sure fans know his name. It’s fair to say that he and Oné feel closer to the first-team picture than Frankie Okonkwo and Justin Obikwu did, signalling another so-called Jez George masterclass this summer that the recruitment doubters have to face up to.
Lloyd made his National League debut for Yeovil on in November 2020, coming on as a late substitute in a 3-1 defeat at home to Hartlepool United, having already appeared in a Somerset Premier Cup fixture for the club.
In May 2021, he joined Queens Park Rangers for an undisclosed fee, signing a three-year deal. He later gained senior experience on loan with National League side Eastleigh during the 2022-23 season, a spell that was extended after impressing manager Lee Bradbury.
Injuries limited his involvement during the following campaign, but he signed a new contract and made his QPR debut in August 2024 against West Bromwich Albion, before scoring a dramatic 97th-minute equaliser against Sheffield Wednesday a month later. After a loan spell with Leyton Orient during the 2025-26 season, Lloyd joined City on loan in January 2026.
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