Journalist Peter O’Rourke has suggested Lincoln City are in advanced talks to sign 31-year-old left back Callum Elder following his release by Derby County.
Elder is available after the expiry of his contract at Pride Park, where he spent three years and made 86 appearances in all competitions.
Usually, when O’Rourke drops a story like this, he has advanced insight from an agent, and the wording would suggest a viable rumour that is worth looking at. The profile fits: Championship-ready, with 160 outings in the second tier to his name. Age-wise, he’s in the right bracket, and the position makes sense, given that Josh Honohan can also play right back, thus completing the ‘two for every position’ in the full back areas.
There’s also the James Collins and Sonny Bradley connection: he has been a teammate of both at Pride Park, which might help swing any potential deal if other clubs were also sniffing around.
Callum Elder career
He began his senior career at Leicester City, although he did not make a first-team appearance for the Foxes, and instead built his early reputation through loan spells with Mansfield Town, Peterborough United, Brentford, Barnsley, Wigan Athletic and Ipswich Town.
His most settled spell came with Hull City, who he joined permanently in 2019. Elder went on to make 137 appearances for the Tigers in all competitions, playing a key role in their 2020/21 League One title-winning campaign. His performances that season earned him a place in both the PFA League One Team of the Year and the EFL League One Team of the Year.
Elder then moved to Derby in the summer of 2023 and was part of the squad that won promotion from League One under Paul Warne in 2023/24. His first season at Pride Park was disrupted by injury, but he still made 26 appearances as Derby finished second and returned to the Championship.
He remained involved over the following two campaigns, making 30 appearances in 2024/25 and another 30 in 2025/26. His final season with the Rams included his first goal for the club, a direct free-kick in a 5-3 defeat against Coventry City, although his campaign was later cut short by injury after he suffered a broken toe and required knee surgery.
Derby confirmed in May that Elder would leave the club when his contract expired, placing him on the free-agent market ahead of the new season. That makes him an experienced option for the Imps without the need for a transfer fee, although any deal would still need to be completed formally.
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