Bolton Wanderers midfielder Ethan Erhahon has been told to ‘play his normal game’ as he prepares to return to Lincoln City for the first time.
The 24-year-old joined the Imps from Scottish outfit St Mirren in January 2023. He quickly nailed down a starting berth in the centre of midfield and it soon became clear that he would attract attention from higher up the football pyramid.
A number of Championship clubs were linked with his signature throughout his stay at the LNER Stadium. As a result, the former Scotland under-21 international was widely tipped to become Lincoln’s first ÂŁ1 million sale last summer.
Despite the interest from the second tier, Erhahon joined Bolton in July for a reported fee of ÂŁ750,000.
Erhahon Set For Sincil Bank Return
Erhahon struggled to break into Steven Schumacher’s team upon his arrival but travels back to familiar surroundings this afternoon on the back of four successive league starts. It’s a game which is likely to have serious repercussions on the League One promotion race, with his former employers sitting second in the table and six points ahead of the Trotters in third.
🚨 Ethan Erhahon has joined Bolton Wanderers. Understand the fee is £750k. https://t.co/rhzg7AKTWM
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) July 25, 2025
Speaking ahead of the clash, the Bolton boss offered some advice to his playmaker:
“We will just encourage Ethan to play his normal game and I think that’s just the way he is.
“If he starts, then I don’t think he’ll be overawed by the reception he gets or whatever sort of reaction he gets from their fans or their players. Maybe he’ll enjoy it?
“I think he’ll just concentrate on his game. He is another player who has been playing well for us lately and that’s been a big part of why we’re in a really good run.Â
“So, I’ll just say to him to do your normal job, don’t try and do anything that you wouldn’t normally do and keep it simple, because if he keeps it simple, he’s proved that he’s a really good player and that’s why we paid the money that we did for him.”
What Reception Awaits Erhahon?
Erhahon was a popular figure at Lincoln during his time in the East Midlands. However, many supporters feel angered by the way in which he departed the club.
There is also a viewpoint that the midfielder made a sideways step, which has seemingly been backed up by the two clubs league positions this season. As such, he’s likely to be the pantomime villain should he step foot on the pitch.
Despite the obvious talent, the Imps haven’t missed their former star. Conor McGrandles has become a mainstay in the centre of the park and has been widely praised for the way he dictates play. He has been partnered throughout the campaign by one of Tom Bayliss and club record signing Ivan Varfolomeev, both of whom have also excelled.