Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle have seen a £250,000 bid rejected for Lincoln City captain Paudie O’Connor as the defender enters the last few months of his contract.
The Irishman has been a key component to the Imps side, since joining in 2022 on a free transfer from Bradford City. At the time he signed a three-year deal, taking him up to the summer of 2025, with the news emerging earlier in the week that Lincoln City had offered him a new deal to extend his stay at Sincil Bank.
However, with such a short time left and his stand-out performances it has naturally attracted interest from clubs in the Championship. talkSPORT’s Alex Crook has indicated that Plymouth have seen their £250,000 bid rejected with a fresh attempt expected.
Lincoln were already understood to be in the market for defensive additions, with manager Michael Skubala saying that the club were working hard in a difficult market. However, the possibility of losing another star defender as they did with Regan Poole when he left for Portsmouth for nothing at the end of his contract may prompt the Imps to accept a deal, if it is clear the Irishman will not accept new terms.
The 27-year-old is not a stranger to moving on a free transfer and it would not be a surprise to see the Imps board attempting to do everything they can to prevent that outcome.
Top Performing League One Player
Paudie O’Connor has not just been one of the standout stars of League One, according to WhoScored he has outperformed all of his peers, topping the average rating table with 7.52 above the likes of Lloyd Jones, Louie Barry and Kwame Poku. He has appeared 25 times in the third tier this season, chipping in with two goals and three assists from central defence.
Should Lincoln City Accept a Bid?
Every club in the EFL is a selling club and Lincoln do not attempt to hide this. Every player has a value and every player is sellable. Right now the Imps board will have a value for O’Connor that takes into consideration his outstanding performances, key role on and off the pitch and the length of his deal and unless Plymouth can match or beat that, he won’t be leaving.
The issue comes that in just a few months’ time, that on paper value becomes £0 and it becomes a balancing act between not allowing him to move on for a low price now and also not losing him for nothing later in the year. Only Lincoln and Paudie’s camp will know how the contract discussions went, but if they did not progress well, it may be better to accept a deal.
The club also have to take into account his on-pitch value. Having a player the quality of the Irishman for the rest of the season will have a value to it and sometimes that can be more important especially if the club is aiming for silverware. However, the poor run of form has pushed the club away from the play-off race and with significant distance between them and the relegation battle it looks to be a mid-table finish. Is having Paudie O’Connor on the pitch going to significantly adjust that outcome? Unlikely.
So, if the club can find a suitable replacement, after bringing in experience in Clucas and Collins who will provide additional leadership along with Darikwa it may be the best option to allow him to go.