366 days ago, Lincoln City signed free agent Ryley Towler, our second capture of the summer following veteran Sonny Bradley’s capture from Derby County.
Following Callum Elder’s capture from Derby County, I thought the one year and one day anniversary of Towler’s arrival might be a good time to look over some free agents available this summer.
The caveat is they have to be realistic and come from either a Premier League or Championship club. There are a lot of players out there, one I liked at Watford until I spied his 11-game ban for racially abusing a teammate.
I have still found no fewer than eight that I believe could have some impact on a lower-end Championship team, which is where I expect us to be. These are those players.
Will Smallbone
Smallbone came through Southampton’s academy and made his senior debut in January 2020, scoring in an FA Cup win over Huddersfield Town before making his Premier League bow the following month. The Republic of Ireland international spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Stoke City, where he made 46 appearances and scored three goals, before returning to Southampton and helping them win promotion through the 2024 Championship play-offs. He later had an injury-hit loan spell with Millwall in 2025/26 and was released by Southampton at the end of the season.
He’s a good age, 26, and has good Championship experience. We might be looking for midfielders, especially as McGrandles and Bayliss both have limited experience at this level, and Kamil Conteh left us short if we’re looking at the ‘two for one’ position. model. The injury issues could be a worry, but as an Ireland international, there is quality to be had here.
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