The 2026/27 Lincoln City squad is beginning to take shape, but it is not finished yet. There is a core there, and a pretty decent one too, particularly in defence, but there are still areas where the work looks incomplete.
If we are doing a proper audit of the group as it stands, the picture is fairly clear. At the back, we look solid and experienced. In midfield, we are probably one body light if we want to cope with injuries and the demands of the division. At the top end of the pitch, there is still a need for more, both in terms of pace and genuine Championship quality.
Here is a full look at the squad, position by position.
Goalkeepers
Everything starts with George Wickens, and rightly so. He looks set to be our number one, and there is no real debate there. He has the shirt, the trust, and the status in the group.
Behind him, though, the situation feels unfinished. Jamie Pardington is in the squad, but the feeling is that he is very much third choice. That is not meant as a slight; it is simply how things appear to stand. If Wickens were unavailable, we would need someone capable of stepping in straight away, and that is why another goalkeeper still feels essential.
The most likely route looks like a loan, perhaps a young keeper with senior minutes already under his belt in League One, League Two or the National League. A free agent is another possibility, but a loan feels more realistic, as a free agent either adds a layer between Wickens and Jeacock, or it brings in a fourth permanent keeper, which I think would be too much. It might not be the glamorous addition some supporters want, but it would be a functional and necessary one.
In short, Wickens is secure, Pardington is depth, and another keeper is still needed.
Full-backs and wing-backs
This is one of the more interesting areas of the squad because there is plenty of experience in it. Tendayi Darikwa, Callum Elder and Adam Reach bring know-how, calmness and versatility, while Josh Honohan adds a slightly different dimension.
Honohan is perhaps the most intriguing of the lot because we have not really seen him yet. His return from a long-term injury is going to be important. Any player missing that amount of football faces questions when they come back, and it may be that he is eased in rather than thrown straight into the side. If that is the case, Darikwa on one side and either Elder or Reach on the other would look the obvious early-season answer.
There is good flexibility here too. Reach can give us quality on the left, Elder is steady and reliable, Darikwa brings leadership, and Honohan should offer energy once fully fit. Ryley Towler can also fill in wide if needed, which only strengthens the depth.
Looking at the squad as a whole, this does not feel like an area where we are crying out for a signing. There is enough quality and enough cover already in place.
Centre-backs
This is where the squad starts to look very healthy. Sonny Bradley, Tom Hamer, Ryley Towler, Adam Jackson, Deji Elerewe and Andrei Coubiș give us a strong pool to work with, and that is before you even consider Charlie Parks as a younger option. If the plan is to use a back three, which has certainly been part of the discussion, then the “two for one” idea makes sense. Two players competing for each slot gives balance and cover.
Towler and Bradley look natural options on the left side, Hamer and Jackson could compete on the right, while Elerewe and Coubiș offer strong options centrally. That is not to say the combinations are fixed: Coubiș has played left for Universitatea Cluj, for example, so we have a lot of flexibility.
The difficult conversation probably comes around Adam Jackson. He is a good servant, a good player and a really nice bloke as well. However, the injury problems last season and the level of competition now around him do raise a question. If we stay with a back three, there is room in the squad. If we move back to a four, it gets tighter for Jacko. Meanwhile, Charlie Parks is a likely loan candidate. Game time is everything at his stage of development, and a move out would make sense, with perhaps the National League North being the level.
Overall, this is an area of strength.
Central midfield
This is where things start to feel a little more open to debate.
Ivan Varfolomeev and Conor McGrandles look like the obvious first-choice pairing in the deeper roles, with Tom Bayliss also able to play there. With JJ McKiernan, it’s always been accepted he’ll go elsewhere, even if he is part of our squad at the time of writing. Dom Jefferies was originally a midfielder with Gillingham, so even if McKiernan goes, that is four central midfielders. On paper, that gives us enough numbers.
In practice, it still feels a touch light. If one of McGrandles or Varfolomeev were to miss time early on, the depth suddenly looks less convincing. That is not to dismiss Bayliss, because he clearly has quality, but the general shape of the squad suggests another central midfielder would not be a surprise. More importantly, it would need to be the right sort of signing. This is not about collecting bodies; it is about adding Championship-level quality and making sure the drop-off is not too steep if injuries bite.
There is a lot to like in this area, but another addition would make the unit feel far more secure.
The number 10 and wide attacking roles
This is where the audit gets slightly more fluid, because some of these players can fill several jobs, but it also creates more gaps, as while a player may have several positions, they can only play in one at once.
Jack Moylan is the standout option in the 10 role. He is the obvious starter there, and if we are talking about a player who can knit things together between midfield and attack, he is the one. Ben House could probably do that job as well, even if it would not be a straight like-for-like change. The pair of them can rotate in the ten as needed, one for carrying and creativity, one for graft, chasing and pressing.
House is an interesting one in general because he still feels like a player without a single fixed label. He has been used left-sided, can play centrally, and offers hard work and intelligence, but he does not necessarily scream out-and-out number nine.
In the wider areas, Reeco Hackett and Oscar Thorn feel like the more natural wide attackers, the players more likely to take people on and give us a bit of unpredictability. Dom Jefferies can operate there too, although he offers something slightly different, more industry and tactical discipline than pure wing play. Rob Street can also be part of that attacking unit, though he may yet be needed through the middle as well.
There is quality in the group, but there is also a lack of certainty in terms of specialist roles. If Street is used centrally, we need more wide depth. If Jefferies is viewed partly as a midfield option, we need more attacking depth. If Thorn goes out on loan, which still cannot be completely ruled out, we need even more.
Put simply, another wide attacker with pace would make a lot of sense. Two would probably be ideal.
Strikers
This is where the biggest questions sit. Usually, Lincoln City needing a striker in the window is as unavoidable as death, taxes and a political argument springing up on Facebook, but over the last two windows, it hasn’t been a debate. This window, it is the area with the most questions.
Freddie Draper looks like a definite option as a number nine. He gives us physicality, presence and a focal point. The ball sticks to him, and there is a lot to be said for that, especially in a tough division. Bear in mind, he is new to the level, and while he does have a lot of attributes that could make him a success, he isn’t the quickest. I like Freddie a lot; I think he’s got a massive future in the game, but he we need more.
Rob Street could also be used there, and he has earned respect after the way his career has progressed over the last couple of years. Whether he is the long-term Championship answer through the middle is another matter, but he deserves the chance to show what he can do. Like Freddie, I have seen no evidence to suggest he isn’t, and Championship clubs have been linked with him, so in the game, there is. a belief he can step up.
James Collins is the difficult one. His injury means it is hard to count him fully at this stage, and even when he does return there will naturally be doubts about what level he can reach and how quickly he can reach it.
That means the attack still looks short, with three out-and-out strikers, one of whom is injured. It’s not light in a catastrophic way, but in a very obvious, very practical way. We need more legs at the top end of the pitch, more pace, and at least one addition who feels like a genuine starter rather than simply another option.
If we are being really honest, a striker feels like the minimum, and dare I say, the club will be looking to make a proper statement signing.
The verdict
There is plenty to like about this Lincoln City squad. Defensively, we look in good shape. The wing-back options are solid, the centre-back department looks strong, and Wickens gives us a dependable base in goal.
The concerns are further forward. Another goalkeeper is needed for cover, another central midfielder would strengthen the spine, and the attack still needs proper work. That means pace, goals, and players ready to make an impact now, not just develop for later.
As for exits, Charlie Parks looks a likely loan candidate, JJ McKiernan may yet move on, and there are question marks around where Adam Jackson fits if the defensive shape changes.
The bones of a Championship squad are here. The challenge now is making sure the final pieces are the right ones.
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