A report broke yesterday that Lincoln City had joined Stoke City in the hunt for £1.5m-rated Dundee defender Luke Graham.
22-year-old Graham is attracting a lot of interest, with Bundesliga side Schalke also interested, Portsmouth, Norwich City, Derby County and SPFL giant Rangers. Valencia, Sturm Graz and Red Bull Salzburg have all also been reported as interested. Imagine a world where Lincoln City are chasing the same players as Valencia and Schalke!
Further reports from Scotland have emerged this afternoon, suggesting that we are actually pushing first for Graham. While Alan Nixon said we had ‘joined’ Stoke, Inside Futbol have said we have ‘already gone in’ for the player, who has recently joined up with the Scotland squad on a training camp ahead of the World Cup.
That could be significant, as it suggests we are being hugely proactive in our pursuit of top targets. Barney Stewart is another from the SPFL we have identified and are reported to be willing to pay more than a million for. It’s fascinating as a lifelong Lincoln City fan to see the difference in reporting this summer. It’s a bit like playing Football Manager, only it is real.
Luke Graham Scotland
Graham has joined up with Steve Clarke’s Scotland squad, one of four players asked to train with them for the experience. He cancelled a holiday with his girlfriend to do so, and has spoken of his pride at getting international recognition.
“The main thing is just pride,” he said. “It is something I have been working towards my whole career. To get this sort of opportunity is amazing. It will be amazing.
“A lot of the players are national heroes. To be in and around it for a few days will be amazing in itself.”
He’ll be joining up with Rangers players like Liam Kelly, John Souttar and Findlay Curtis, players who might be able to convince him that Ibrox is the place to be.
Rangers are going hard on Scottish players this summer: they’ve already agreed a deal for Hearts hitman Lawrence Shankland, and Graham is on that list.
Buckled Up
Former Scotland international Alex Rae, who played for Millwall, Sunderland and Wolves during his career, believes that ‘the penny has dropped‘ for Graham after his performances spiked this season.
“It is interesting because you get to talk with people within the game, people who have actually worked with him and I think the penny has dropped for him as well in terms of ways he goes about things.
“I don’t mean any disrespect. I don’t know enough about the boy. I think he has buckled down, he has applied himself better and he is actually benefiting from that.
“Because I think he looks chiselled now, looks as if he has been ripped. And he is actually bullying people.”
Graham has done the hard yards in terms of loans, turning out for Albion Rovers, Lowland League side Lochee United, Montrose, and two stints at Falkirk, before his breakout season in the SPFL with Dundee this season.
While Rangers can offer the biggest stage domestically, and Stoke can perhaps offer better wages, there is a big aspect going in our favour: his Dundee teammates. If he were to speak to Lewis Montsma and Ethan Hamilton, he is likely to hear plenty of good things about our club. That has allowed us to steal a march on rivals and get Josh Honohan, and it may be the advantage we need in the hunt for Luke Graham.