It was reported on Friday that Lincoln City had a bid of £1m turned down for Falkirk striker Barney Stewart, news that certainly raised some eyebrows.
At the time, we questioned whether City would be in the market for a £1m striker, and whether that sort of outlay was something we’d be willing to do. While the numbers have not been confirmed, it is now my understanding that the Imps are interested on Stewart, but there are a number of barriers to any potential deal.
Stewart’s rise has been significant after starting life at Queens Park Rangers as a trainee. He played rugby union and Gaelic football before committing to further education with Heriot-Watt University in 2022. He helped their football club win promotion from the EoSFL Second Division, and scored more than 40 goals across EoSFL and BUCS competitions during the 2023-24 season, attracting interest from professional clubs.
He moved to Falkirk in 2024 and began this season on loan at Dunfermline Athletic, where he scored eight goals in 12 matches. Falkirk then recalled him, and he continued that form in the Scottish Premiership, taking his total for the campaign to 18 goals. That form has caught the eye of a number of clubs, including West Brom. The 22-year-old won the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Young Player of the Year award this weekend and was also nominated for the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award, won by Rangers’ talent Mikey Moore.
Barriers
What barriers could there be to us signing Barney Stewart? The obvious one is Falkirk not wanting to sell. They’re protected, he recently signed a new deal, so he’s going nowhere unless their valuation is met. That valuation is more than £1m, as reported recently, a price which has put off West Brom, for now.
It’s clear they don’t want to sell the player, and that is another major hurdle. He’s happy with the Bairns, and there is no pressure on either side for him to move on. That means they can negotiate away, and our confirmed interest means just that: we like him. If Peter O’Rourke’s report is true that we’ve had a bid turned down, one would imagine that bid must have been in the region of the £1m they’ve already rejected.
West Brom and us are not the only suitors, either. My understanding is that several other Championship and top-end League One clubs with spending power are courting the Scotland Under-21 international, which is an additional barrier to any deal. We might well be interested, but it feels like the first page of a saga that could run for a month or two yet.
Barney Stewart Data
Here are some stat bits for those of you who like numbers. I ran Stewart’s data through the comparison platform I use, and he came out as closest in profile to players like Harry Leonard, Bim Pepple and James Collins, which was interesting. Given that we’ve been linked with Pepple, and we own Collins, it does suggest his profile matches the sort of player we like. The comparison throws out a ‘top ten’, and when compared with his current division, the SPFL, seven of the ten players he was most like were League One strikers, suggesting his profile fits the English game.
His numbers suggest a modern centre forward who thrives on physicality and penalty-box movement. He averaged 0.49 goals per 90 from 0.5 xG, indicating he is finishing chances at roughly the expected rate, while his 2.3 shots per game and 44.7% accuracy show consistent involvement in attacking areas. He also ranks highly for assists, and having watched some clips, he’s tidy with his feet as well as getting set-piece flick-ons.
The physical side of his game is equally impressive. Stewart contests 9.1 offensive duels per 90 and wins 45.5%, strong numbers for a young striker leading the line in the Scottish Premiership. Combined with 3.52 touches in the penalty area and regular progressive runs, it paints the picture of a forward capable of occupying defenders while still driving attacks forward himself, rather than simply waiting for service inside the box.
His physical profile is impressive aerially, as he stands 6ft 3in tall. He contests 8.73 aerial duels per 90, winning 41%, which is a heavy workload for a young striker and underlines Falkirk’s reliance on him as a focal point for direct play. Defensively, he also contributes willingly, averaging 1.76 defensive duels per 90 with an impressive 65.5% success rate, suggesting he is comfortable pressing from the front and engaging physically without the ball as well as with it.
Conclusion
Will we unveil Barney Stewart as a Lincoln City player this week? Absolutely not, no. We’re interested in him, which suggests to me he’s on a list of strikers we like, and he’s near the top. Sadly, his awards and profile mean he is on a lot of lists, and near the top of those as well. League One and Championship interest is solid, European interest is hinted at, all meaning the price could go beyond what we’re willing to pay.
I can see him fitting our game plan perfectly. He’s mobile, but robust. He’s good in the air, but he’s tidy with his feet. He can finish, and he works hard: he’s the sort of striker that has a high ceiling. However, with those attributes comes a lot of competition.
The interesting insinuation is that we’re competing for players at a very different level from last season. That’s probably obvious, but my expectation was we’d be shopping in the Josh Honohan, Deji Elerewe, Ivan Varfolomeev market, six figures, but not close to £1m. It’s interesting to think we might be willing to exceed that, should the player profile be right.
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