Rumours linking Lincoln City to players have been coming thick and fast of late, from former AC Milan defenders to World Cup stars; everyone wants to put our name in their reports.
It feels like many have got legs, or we were at last interested. Oumar Diakité and Andrei Coubiś are two players who feel like they may be viable, while Luke Graham and Barney Stewart were two that we certainly had an eye on over the summer. However, not all of those reports are accurate.
Recently, two outlets had us linked to different players. I won’t link directly to them, as the reports were either simple fabrication, designed to get shares and likes, but with no basis at all in reality, or misinformation being handed to the outlets.
One website, On The Minute, linked us with a move for Chelsea defender Caleb Wiley. Wiley is a 21-year-old American left-back who joined Chelsea from Atlanta United for around £8.5 million in July 2024 after making 77 MLS appearances and scoring six goals. He has since spent time on loan with Strasbourg and Watford, making six Ligue 1 appearances and 15 Championship outings before his spell at Vicarage Road ended in January 2026.
It didn’t really fit, given we signed Callum Elder a day or two before this news dropped, but my understanding is that it is complete fiction. The site, which seems to be funded by betting links, has been misinformed at best. I’m not being snobby about betting links – I place some on my site to help drive revenue, but the fundamental purpose of my site is not to drive people to betting sites.
Another Twitter account, 2nd Tier Scoop, had the exclusive report that we were in for Owen Beck. He is a 23-year-old Welsh left-back who came through Liverpool’s academy before making his senior debut for the club in an EFL Cup tie against Preston North End in October 2021. He has since gained experience on loan with Famalicão, Bolton Wanderers, Dundee and Blackburn Rovers.
Beck joined Derby County on loan for the 2025/26 season after signing a new long-term Liverpool contract, but persistent injury problems prevented him from making an appearance before he returned to Anfield in January 2026.
With 424 followers, it didn’t feel like an in-the-know site, and it isn’t. The Liverpool defender, another left-sided player, has not been in talks with Lincoln City, and one would imagine the same goes for Charlton.
There is a lot of misinformation out there, and we’ve been accused of spreading it ourselves. What I would say is that when you have an actual website on News Now, you do have to adhere to certain protocols, such as backing up any transfer claims you repeat, or being an authority in your own right, something you only get to be by writing accurate news.
Some outlets, such as TeamTalk and SportsBoom, sit right on the cusp of acceptable sources, but Twitter-only accounts designed for engagement do not. It is very easy to be a social media account with no comeback, making claims about players, both incoming and outgoing, without any accountability.
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