Lincoln City transfer deadline day dream includes Paudie O'Connor and Premier League developments | OneFootball

The dream deadline day for Lincoln City would be a quiet one, keeping hold of star-man Paudie O'Connor and capitalising on developments further up the

The dream deadline day for Lincoln City would be a quiet one, keeping hold of star-man Paudie O'Connor and capitalising on developments further up the pyramid.

While Imps head coach Michael Skubala has said there is still action going on, with the club presumably eyeing loan moves for younger players, the main focus should be on retaining the central cog of the Lincoln defence beyond January.

Lincoln City must try to keep Paudie O’Connor

O’Connor has attracted a lot of reported interest from the Sky Bet Championship, with Lincoln offering their club captain a new contract in an attempt to fend this off, according to Football Insider.

Rumours surrounding the Irish defender seemingly pop up every window, but this time it is slightly different. That is because the 27-year-old, who is one of Lincoln's most featured players, is out of contract in the summer.

The equation, similar to that of former Imp Regan Poole (who left on a free transfer to join Portsmouth at the end of his contract), is simple. There are three options for Lincoln.

First, is to sell O’Connor before the winter transfer window slams shut on February 3rd. The second is to secure his services to a new contract that extends beyond the summer, or the third, would be to do neither and let him exit the LNER Stadium on a free transfer in the summer.

The third would be a real blow on two fronts: not only failing to gain any financial benefit from losing the club captain, but also having to replace an important figure on and off the field.

The argument could be made that selling O’Connor now would be better than this option, but it is too late in the window.

The time for which Lincoln could recruit and sign a replacement has slimmed to just a few days, so they simply cannot afford to lose their captain. Without him, City’s defence wilters and would require real reinforcement if the Imps want to maintain their out-shot at reaching the play-offs.

Keeping an eye on Premier League developments

Lincoln sealed the signature of Joe Gardner before their visit to Wigan Athletic, securing the services of the Nottingham Forest youngster for the remainder of the current campaign.

That makes him one of the players Imps boss Skubala was referring to, when stating that options are still being pursued at this late stage of the January window.

Young players are the order of the day, by Skubala’s own admission, should City add anything else to their squad before the clock ticks past the deadline. He has been at pains to maintain that he feels no desperation to bolster his options, but would see value in adding injury cover and depth to his ranks.

As often in these latter stages of transfer windows, there can be a ripple effect. The developments at the top of the English football pyramid will impact and influence the moves further down, and into Sky Bet League One.

Gardner is an example of that, with Forest looking to send him out on his first senior loan, opening up a door for a club like the Imps.

It would be far from a disastrous end to the window if Lincoln did no more business. Perhaps, it would even be a good sign, with the Imps keeping hold of their club captain and the ever-present defensive rock the main issue at hand.