After weeks of speculation, Lewis Montsma has officially signed a new contract with Lincoln City.
He penned a new six-month deal with the SkyBet League One club, after he was left out of contract at the end of last season. The 26-year-old has suffered two ACL injuries in as many years, but is now back in training ahead of the upcoming campaign.
Just What Lewis Montsma Needed:
The contract extension is ideal for the Dutch centre-back, as he now has the security in knowing he will at least be playing in Lincoln City colours for the next six months.
It gives him the chance to impress the coaching staff, led by former Leeds United under-21s boss Michael Skubala, and the higher-ups at the LNER Stadium.
After penning a deal with the Imps in 2020, he played 40 games in his debut campaign in the EFL. Retaining his place as a first-team regular, he made 19 appearances in the following campaign. However, the first of his injuries then hit, as he played just nine games in the 2022/23 season.
Things went from bad to worse for the centre-back, as his ACL injury returned, and ruled him out for the entirety of the most recent term.
Also… Just What Lincoln City Needed:
On the other end of things, Lincoln City desperately needed another centre-back.
After TJ Eyoma, who was a Tottenham Hotspur academy player once upon a time, was released in the annual retained list, and Alex Mitchell returned to SkyBet Championship outfit Millwall at the end of his season-long loan, the Imps were left without enough defensive options.
Before Montsma re-signed with the club, they only had three senior central defenders: Irish youth international Sean Roughan, captain Paudie O’Connor, and the experienced Adam Jackson. For a team that employed a 5-3-2 last season, that was far from being enough.
The re-signing of Lewis Montsma, who is a high-level League One defender when fit, helps ease those concerns.
“The Right Thing to Do”:
Lincoln City’s director of football Jez George described the decision to re-sign Montsma as the “right thing to do”, among the quotes he provided to the club’s website.
The defender has had two ACL reconstructions, something that is certainly not an easy thing to rebound from. Returning to elite sport is a difficult thing to do after such an injury, but Montsma is set to do just that in the 2024/25 season.
He said Lincoln felt like “home” in his interview with the club following his re-signing. And, that is exactly why this is such a good fit for him. Not just is it a return to football, it is in a place that has stuck by him during a long rehabilitation.
The Best for All Parties:
First and foremost, it is best for Montsma that he is back playing football. He came on as a second-half substitute in the Imps’ pre-season opener against Preston North End, in Spain.
For Lincoln City, they have another proven centre-back, which they desperately needed to add to their squad. The human aspect of the decision may get lost in the footballing benefits, but it is also good to see Montsma get another shot at Lincoln.
If the Dutchman manages to stay fit, and keeps a possible second reoccurrence of his ACL injury at bay, then he is well placed for earning a spot back in the Imps line-up next season.