If Lincoln City are looking at Callum Elder, as Peter O’Rourke reports, then they are looking at a player who has performed in the Championship for the last two seasons, played plenty of football, and built a profile around reliability.
What might he specifically bring to us? With a career spanning multiple clubs, his most productive periods have come with Hull City and, more recently, Derby County. My first thought when I saw the link was ‘yeah, that feels about right’ given that he was a regular for Derby, and rather than simply being a highlight reel, he feels like a brick in a bigger build, which is just so Lincoln City. There is a difference between a player who excites from a distance and one who raises the floor of a side. Elder looks far more like the latter.
The first thing to say is that the data tells us he was not drifting around Derby County’s squad last season, like perhaps James Collins and Sonny Bradley were before their moves. Across all competitions in 2025/26, he played 2,792 minutes, which is a proper workload. A player can have all the pedigree in the world, but if he has spent a year barely getting on the pitch, the question changes. With Elder, it does not. He was active, used regularly, and trusted in different versions of the same role: left-back, left wing-back, and, occasionally, even right-back. You might feel we’re covered at left back, but Josh Honohan plays both, so you could say a fourth full back (in addition to Tendayi and Adam Reach) makes sense, left or right.
There is a clear left-sided bias to his game, but not a rigid one. Derby used him as a left-back and a wing-back throughout both Championship seasons, and that flexibility is probably the biggest reason he would make sense. We have often wanted wide defenders to do two jobs: hold a back four when required, but also step higher when the shape shifts to a three (or five, depending on your perception). Elder has done both, and the difference in the numbers is interesting. In 2025/26, his crossing volume jumped to 96, with 47.9% accurate. The season before, it was 77 crosses at 37.7%. That is not a small change. It suggests either a player being asked to deliver more often or a player finding a better rhythm in advanced positions. Possibly both.
The assist return backs that up. One goal and six assists in 2025/26 is a strong output for a full-back in a Championship side, especially one whose job was not simply to bomb on with no defensive responsibility. The goal came in a chaotic 5-3 defeat against Coventry, but the assists were spread across the season and different types of games. He assisted in wins against Bristol City, Swansea, Blackburn and Leicester, and also in the Swansea home game in February. That is not the profile of a full-back whose attacking numbers are padded by one good afternoon. He seems to have been a steady source of delivery, and his corner delivery looks pinpoint, with a couple of lovely balls from the flag.
That is where the appeal is obvious. Elder is not a winger playing at full-back. He is more old-school than that. The dribbling numbers are not especially high, with 33 attempted in 2025/26, although just over half were successful. He is not going to collect the ball, beat two men and turn a match on its head. His threat comes from arriving in the right area, getting the ball out of his feet and putting it into the box. For a side with forwards who attack spaces well, that has value, and we do have the likes of Freddie Draper and Rob Street who get on the end of things. For a team that sometimes needs cleaner service from wide areas, it is impressive.
His passing numbers need a little care. A 70.9% accuracy rate in 2025/26, down from 74.2% the previous season, does not scream composed possession player, but it is comparable to Tendayi Darikwa, for instance, on 75.1% for 2025/26. The long passing figures are also mixed: 87 long passes at 44.8% in 2025/26, after 48 at 33.3% the season before. That could be read two ways. He is not someone who will endlessly recycle the ball at 100% accuracy, but Derby’s use of him clearly involved a fair amount of territory play. He went forward earlier, crossed more often, and tried longer passes. In that context, the raw pass accuracy is less alarming than it first looks.
There are still limits. If we want a full-back to play under pressure in very tight spaces, constantly combine through midfield and become an extra playmaker, Elder probably is not that player. He can keep the ball moving, but the data does not point to a technical controller. His best games in possession are there, such as the 5-0 win at Bristol City when he completed 32 of 35 passes and assisted, but there are also rougher matches. Birmingham away on Boxing Day stands out: only five accurate passes from 13, 36% successful actions, and two shots off target. He can have games where the ball does not stick, but then can’t everyone? It’s also worth noting that it’s Championship level: we’re talking about a tried and tested second-tier player here.
Defensively, the numbers are more encouraging, although again they are not without texture. In 2025/26, he won 53% of his duels and 53.7% of his aerial duels. For a full-back, that aerial figure is useful. He was involved in 149 aerial contests across the campaign, which is a lot for his position, and won more than half. Lincoln supporters will know the value of that. League One was not gentle to full-backs, especially at the back post, and the Championship is sure to be up another level. Elder looks like someone who can cope with that side of the game.
The interceptions figure is also eye-catching. He made 152 in 2025/26, up from 102 in 2024/25. That points to a defender who reads danger rather than one who relies only on recovery pace. He appears active in his lane, alert to second balls and able to step in when passes are played into wide forwards. It also hints at experience. At 31, he is unlikely to be the quickest version of himself, so positioning becomes important. The numbers suggest he still gets himself into the right places often enough.
His recoveries in the opposition half went up, from 25.7% in 2024/25 to 32.4% in 2025/26, although the raw volume rose from 202 to 253. That tells us he was more involved overall and spent a decent amount of time higher up the pitch. He was not just defending deep and clearing his lines. As a wing-back, he could contribute to pressure. As a left-back, he could still step on. That fits with the crossing and assist numbers.
He isn’t one to shirk a tackle: ten yellow cards in 2025/26, after eight the season before, is not wild, but it is enough to notice. It may be a by-product of volume, experience and tactical fouling, but it also tells you he is not a passive defender. He gets involved. There is some edge there, which can be useful, provided it does not become a suspension issue. No red cards across the two seasons listed is also important: he has not been sent off since the opening day of the 2017/18 season.
The most persuasive part of the case is that Elder improved his attacking contribution while maintaining a solid defensive discipline Championship level. He moved from two assists in 2024/25 to six in 2025/26. His crossing accuracy rose. His long passing became more productive. His interception count climbed. He was used heavily and across roles. This is not a player on the way down, and it’s believed he only left Derby as they wanted to offer a single year.
The counterpoint is age and ceiling. Elder would not be a development signing. He would be a here-and-now player, someone expected to contribute immediately. That is fine, but it changes the expectation. At 31, you are signing certainty, know-how and probably a two-year window, not resale value. The Imps have done well in recent seasons when blending younger, upwardly mobile players with experienced heads. Elder would sit firmly in the second category.
For City, the question is not whether Elder is good enough: his experience shows that he is. The better question is whether he is the right type. If City want a dependable left-sided defender who can play in a four or a five, defend the back post, add Championship-level experience and put more reliable balls into the box, there is a very obvious argument for this being a solid signing. I’m also told he can launch a big throw, and potentially, we need a Tom Hamer alternative. We’re going to need to cash in on set pieces this season, again, and having a couple of big throws and good delivery from corners will obviously be an advantage.
There is the caveat of his injury record: he missed the end of last season with a broken toe, and while that isn’t reflective of a poor injury record, he has only completed more than 30 games once in his career, in 2020/21. In 2024/25, he picked up a groin injury in September, then suffered a knee injury in April to curtail his season early. It’s not ‘injury-prone’ as such, but perhaps an acknowledgement that if we do make a move, we’re looking at a player who fits part of a rotated squad, rather than completing every minute of the season.
Elder looks like a smart, sensible target. Not spectacular, not especially fashionable, but useful. He has played a lot of Championship football over the last two seasons, and while the data does not paint him as flawless, it does paint him as experienced, durable, competitive and productive enough in the final third to make a difference.
That is exactly why Lincoln City could well be looking at Callum Elder.
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