Pryvit, Ivan. For Lincoln City’s record signing, there was a friendly welcome. Fellow Ukrainians were waiting outside Sincil Bank, young fans now of the Imps in exile from the war, who were keen to meet him, writes Olly Burton.
So much excitement for a new signing at Sincil Bank had not been seen for quite some time, that was until, Lincoln City announced the capture of 21-year-old Ukrainian Ivan Varfolomeev from Slovan Liberec. The transfer had quite the story. Varfolomeev was not allowed in the country to attend his medical, the club’s recruitment team at a language barrier with the selling team, a player that was unknown to all associated with The Imps.
The news of Lincoln’s interest initially broke on Czech media sites and quickly spread amongst fans online. Weeks later, he was spotted inside the club grounds participating in a photoshoot. Upon announcement, it signalled a statement of intent from a team looking to gatecrash League One’s upper echelons for the first time since 2021.
Varfolomeev’s first involvement with Lincoln did not come straight away, allowing him to adapt to his new environment. Much like Erik Ring’s signing last season, it was expected that Varfolomeev needed to get used to League One’s style. He was involved with the matchday squad in the 1-1 draw against Bolton Wanderers, but made his full debut the Tuesday after away at Burton Albion in the Carabao Cup.
It was a solid performance from the midfielder, as City went on to win the tie, teeing up an exciting fixture with Chelsea. It was that game that Imps fans got the first taste of what was to come for Ivan. It would be quite the challenge, as up against him was Enzo Fernandez, a £100 million World Cup winner. After the first half at least, neutrals probably wouldn’t have identified the Argentine as the nine-figure player out of the two. A loose ball from Fernandez was pounced on by Varfolomeev, feeding to Rob Street, who finished with a plomb to give The Imps the advantage. The billion-pound blues would eventually turn the screw and prevail as winners, but it was an evening to be proud of.
In the league, however, Varfolomeev had to wait for a chance to start. The widely underrated Tom Bayliss had performed well in a double pivot alongside the outstanding Conor McGrandles, giving Michael Skubala few opportunities to change. An unfortunate injury to Bayliss at half-time away at Stockport, however, handed the chance to Varfolomeev, and he has not looked back since.
In the games that Varfolomeev has started after Boxing Day, Lincoln have been undefeated. In the only game he didn’t start, he came off the bench to score a glorious goal against Northampton. It is safe to say he has become a fans’ favourite and one of the best holding midfielders in League One.
The stats also agree, according to FotMob, Varfolomeev has the fifth most interceptions per ninety minutes for a central midfielder. The Crimean also ranks tenth for clearances per ninety out of midfielders. Interestingly, he ranks seventeenth for successful dribbles for midfielders, a stat including wingers, and has a success rate of 76.9%. Also, out of the thirty-four goals Lincoln have conceded this season in League One, only eleven of them were conceded when Varfolomeev was on the pitch.
The youngster has also added his share of direct goal contributions, grabbing an impressive assist away at Barnsley in December, as well as an even more impressive goal at home to Northampton. On the ‘eye test’, it can also be argued that Varfolomeev is the perfect complement to Conor McGrandles in the middle. This was noted by many at half time away at Huddersfield, where McGrandles looked to miss a midfield partner and got overran at times.
If City’s dream of Championship football was to be achieved this season, there is no reason Varfolomeev couldn’t step up. Perhaps in some instances, people argue he needs to be a bit sharper and more progressive with his passing. But we are talking about a twenty-one-year-old who was signed as an investment on a long-term deal. He can only get better.
If City are to be promoted to the Championship, another ESC slot would be added to the club’s transfer strategy. This could mean that another player, like Ivan, could be plucked from the unknown. One of the many benefits of a promotion that many would overlook. Who knows, we could be sitting here in September talking about the capture of another fans’ favourite from overseas. The future looks bright for Ivan, and hopefully, that is at Sincil Bank.
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