Lincoln City are reportedly closing in on the loan signing of Republic of Ireland international Chiedozie Ogbene from Ipswich Town.
According to the Ipswich Star, the two clubs have agreed a deal which would bring the 29-year-old to Sincil Bank until January. The move is expected to be completed before the transfer window closes at 11 pm on Tuesday evening, although there has not yet been official confirmation from either club.
It would be an eye-catching addition for the Imps. Ogbene has been playing Premier League football within the last couple of years, while Ipswich reportedly paid £8 million to sign him from Luton Town in August 2024. His time at Portman Road has not gone to plan, primarily because of a serious Achilles injury, but there is a proven Championship performer beneath the difficult couple of seasons he has endured.
There is also an obvious argument for the move from City’s perspective. Ogbene is best known as a quick, direct winger, but he has considerable experience as a right wing-back and has even appeared at full-back. Following Tendayi Darikwa’s serious injury, Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw need another option on that side of the pitch.
If Ogbene can stay fit, this would be about more than simply filling a gap. City would be adding an experienced international with pace, physical power and the versatility to fulfil several different roles.
Who is Chiedozie Ogbene?
Ogbene’s route into professional football is a little different from most. Born in Lagos in May 1997, he moved to Ireland with his family in 2005 and grew up in Cork. He played Gaelic football for Nemo Rangers as well as association football for several local clubs, eventually choosing football because he wanted to pursue his dream of playing in the Premier League.
That decision worked out reasonably well. He joined Cork City in 2015, helped their under-19 side win the Enda McGuill Cup and was part of the senior squad which lifted the FAI Cup in 2016. A move to Limerick followed, where eight goals in 32 league appearances started to attract attention from clubs in England.
Brentford brought him across the Irish Sea in January 2018, although his time with the Bees never really got going. He made nine appearances in all competitions and spent part of the following campaign on loan at Exeter City before joining Rotherham United in August 2019.
It was with the Millers that Ogbene properly established himself in English football. He made 136 appearances across four seasons, scoring 14 times, and helped them win promotion from League One. He also scored at Wembley as Rotherham beat Sutton United 4-2 in the 2022 EFL Trophy final.
His final Rotherham campaign was arguably his best in front of goal. Ogbene scored eight times in 39 Championship appearances during 2022/23, earning himself a move to newly promoted Luton Town. He then made 30 Premier League appearances, scoring four goals as the Hatters narrowly failed to avoid relegation.
Ipswich subsequently paid a reported £8 million for him, but an Achilles tear suffered at Brentford in October 2024 ended his season after only a handful of appearances. He returned after nine months out and spent 2025/26 on loan at Sheffield United, where another injury interrupted his attempts to build momentum.
Ogbene is also an established Republic of Ireland international. He became the first African-born player to represent the country at senior level in 2021 and has since collected 35 caps, scoring five times. His performances earned him the FAI Senior International Player of the Year award for 2023.
He has played against us five times, losing 3-0 as an Exeter player in 2018/19, and losing 3-0 as a Rotherham player in the EFL Trophy in 2019/20. He did score as Rotherham beat us 2-1 in 2021/22.
What sort of player is he?
Let’s deal with the obvious part first: Ogbene is quick. Not just fairly rapid or capable of getting away from a defender, but properly quick. During his time with Luton, he was widely regarded as one of the fastest players in the Premier League.
That pace shaped his role for the Hatters. Luton did not dominate possession against many Premier League opponents, so Ogbene became an outlet who could turn a clearance or turnover into an attack. He could receive the ball in space, carry it over distance and force defenders to retreat towards their own goal. His ACL injury may have affected that a little, but he is still capable of getting up and down at pace.
His positional history is interesting as well. He is primarily described as a winger, but Wyscout data includes appearances on both flanks, as a wing-back, full-back, attacking midfielder and even as a centre-forward. That does not mean he is equally effective everywhere, but it does explain why he could appeal to us. He is not a winger who waits for somebody else to win the ball before becoming interested. He has experience of dropping into a back five, competing in defensive duels and making repeated recovery runs, all of which would be important in this City side.
City like players who can perform more than one function. Ogbene could potentially operate as the right-sided wing-back, play further forward as part of a three or provide a direct attacking option from the bench. In certain matches, he could conceivably move between those roles without requiring a substitution or complete change of shape.
Ogbene’s Premier League numbers
His Premier League data covers 2,517 minutes across his appearances for Luton and Ipswich. In that time, he recorded four goals and one assist from an expected goals figure of 5.3.
That works out at approximately 0.19 xG and 1.32 shots per 90 minutes. Those numbers do not suggest Ogbene is a high-volume goalscorer, but that has never really been his game. He is more likely to stretch the pitch, progress the ball and help create the circumstances from which chances can develop.
His four goals came from 37 shots, with 15 finding the target. It is a reasonable return for somebody who regularly played at wing-back and represented a Luton side battling near the bottom of the Premier League. He was not operating permanently inside the penalty area or receiving a steady flow of presentable opportunities.
The dribbling figures provide a clearer indication of his strengths. Ogbene attempted 180 dribbles and completed 110, giving him an excellent success rate of 61.1%. That equates to around 6.4 attempts and 3.9 successful dribbles per 90 minutes.
Those are the numbers of a player who wants to engage defenders. He is not simply quick without the ball, either. Ogbene can carry possession at speed and beat opponents, which would give City a different route up the pitch when passing through midfield is difficult.
His crossing was less consistent. Ogbene attempted 100 crosses and completed 33, meaning one in three found its target. That is hardly disastrous, especially when crosses delivered at pace can produce second balls and defensive mistakes, and it’s always crucial to remember that an inaccurate cross in this sort of data can still be dangerous, but without a player on the end of it.
He won 51.1% of his 611 duels and 41.1% of his aerial contests. Again, those figures fit the scouting description of a sturdy, committed wide player rather than a lightweight winger who can be pushed out of matches. He will lose the ball because of the way he plays, but he is also prepared to compete to recover it.
What happened last season?
The 2025/26 numbers require a little care because the supplied data combines Ogbene’s appearances for Ipswich, Sheffield United, Sheffield United Under-21s and the Republic of Ireland. It is not a pure Championship sample, but it still offers a useful picture of a player trying to rebuild after nine months out.
Across 1,587 minutes, Ogbene scored once and supplied one assist. He took only 12 shots, generating an xG figure of 1.07, while just two of those efforts found the target. His only Sheffield United goal came during a 3-1 victory over Oxford United. That attacking output is modest. His shooting rate dropped to approximately 0.68 attempts per 90, almost half the figure recorded across his Premier League sample. The difference suggests he was getting into shooting positions far less frequently after returning from injury.
His dribbling remained more encouraging. Ogbene completed 49 of his 79 attempts, maintaining an impressive success rate of 62%. That is almost identical to his Premier League figure, although the number attempted per 90 fell from approximately 6.4 to 4.5. There is something important in that. The basic ability to beat an opponent appears to have survived the injury, but Ogbene was not attempting those actions as regularly. That could reflect reduced explosiveness, a lack of confidence, his deployment in deeper positions or simply the stop-start nature of his season.
The positional data certainly matters. He appeared at right-back and right wing-back for Sheffield United, as well as in more advanced wide roles. Asking him to defend deeper would naturally reduce his opportunities to shoot or attack the penalty area.
What could he bring to Lincoln City?
If this deal is completed, City would be getting a player with Premier League experience, 35 international caps and a proven understanding of the Championship. It would also be a signing with an element of rehabilitation attached, because the challenge is to help Ogbene rediscover the rhythm he had before his Achilles injury.
A loan until January makes sense for everyone. Ipswich get an opportunity to place him in a competitive environment, City add experience and genuine pace, and Ogbene gets the regular football he needs without either club making a longer commitment immediately.
His strength lies in changing the shape of a game. Pace forces defenders to drop, creates room for teammates and gives a side an escape route when under pressure. We saw at Bolton how valuable it can be to have players capable of carrying the ball away from our own defensive third, rather than inviting another immediate wave of pressure.
The obvious concern is his physical condition. A torn Achilles is a major injury for any footballer, particularly one whose game is so closely connected to acceleration. The subsequent hamstring problem and his reduced output last season offer legitimate reasons for caution.
There is no guarantee that we would see the devastating runner who troubled Premier League defenders for Luton. The figures from last season show a player who was less involved in attacking areas and who had not yet returned to his previous level of output.
Even so, the underlying qualities remain highly attractive. Ogbene can play in several positions, carry the ball, beat defenders and contribute without possession. If Cohen and Shaw can get him fit, confident and involved regularly, City might be offering him a fresh start at exactly the right moment.
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