Lincoln City will have to look elsewhere if they remain in the market for another centre-back after Ibrahim Buhari completed a move to FK Austria Wien.
The Imps were reported to have made initial contact with IF Elfsborg over the Nigerian defender in May, when Portsmouth, Cardiff City and Turkish side Kasimpasa were also credited with an interest. There is no guarantee we actually did, but aside from his age (being over 24 meant he fell foul of ESC rules), it appeared to be a viable target.
Buhari appeared to fit the profile of a potentially interesting summer addition. He is 24, stands at 6ft 3in and has entered the final months of his contract in Sweden, with his Elfsborg deal due to expire at the end of the Allsvenskan season. That contract situation created the possibility of a summer move, with Elfsborg facing a decision over whether to sell while they could still command a fee.
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His future has now been resolved after FK Austria Wien confirmed his arrival this week.
Buhari has signed a three-year contract with the Austrian Bundesliga club, keeping him in Vienna until the summer of 2029. He will wear the number three shirt and has already joined his new team-mates for pre-season training as they prepare not only for a push at the title, something they last won in 2013, but also for a Europa Conference League campaign. Buhari has already featured in European competition, playing during Elfsborg’s Europa League campaign and coming up against opponents including Sheriff Tiraspol, Molde and Pafos.
The defender joined the Swedish club from Plateau United in September 2022 after establishing himself in the Nigerian top flight. He scored six goals in 38 appearances during his second full season with Plateau, helping them finish second in the Nigeria Professional Football League.
Whether this was ever viable is another question. Certainly, once clarity over the new ESC rules was obtained, he was unlikely to be a target, but prior to that, there was no reason to suspect he wasn’t. Everything about him fitted the Lincoln City profile, but this doesn’t feel like something we missed out on, rather something we probably didn’t ever get off the ground, if we made contact at all.
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