Championship quartet Burnley, Norwich City, Hull and West Brom are all watching Lincoln City midfielder Ethan Erhahon very closely ahead of the January transfer window.
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With the state of play starting to become clear in England’s second tier, plans are already being drawn up for the mid-season market with clubs looking to boost their promotion prospects while covering up a few weaknesses in their squads.
And TBR can confirm that one of the most in-form young players in the Football League could be offered the opportunity to make a step up the ladder with promotion-chasing Burnley and West Bromwich Albion amongst his growing throng of admirers.
Ethan Erhahon was named Lincoln City’s Players’ Player of the Year in 2023/24.
The Glasgow-born 23-year-old has picked up where he left off this season too, starting all six League One games for an Imps side currently sat in the play-off positions under former Leeds United coach Michael Skubala.
TBR understands that, in addition to Scott Parker’s Burnley and Carlos Corberan’s Baggies, there is also interest in Erhahon from Norwich and Hull.
West Brom and Burnley in race for Lincoln City’s Ethan Erhahon
A former Scotland Under 21 international, Erhahon joined Lincoln from St Mirren back in 2023.
He has been labelled the best defensive midfielder in the third-tier ‘by a mile’, too, with Skubala accepting that his side will ‘struggle’ to keep Erhahon amid rising interest from clubs in the division above.
“I don’t think clubs in the Championship will be doing their jobs properly if there wasn’t interest,” adds Lincoln’s director of football Jez George, speaking to BBC Radio Lincolnshire in May.
“He has been exceptional.”
George admits he would be ‘amazed’ if Erhahon does not become the most expensive export in Lincoln’s history when the time comes to leave Sincil Bank.
Currently, that honour belongs to Harry Toffollo.
Toffolo started his career at Norwich – one of Erhahon’s many admirers – and now plays Premier League football with Nottingham Forest after departing Lincoln to the tune of £640,000 two years ago.
The Imps do not plan to stand in Erhahon’s way either, should they receive an offer that both pleases the club and the player himself.
“It’s about career progression and the right club,” George said.
“So, if the right club comes in with the right financial package for Ethan that could be life changing, quadrupling his wages, and it is an absolutely huge number for Lincoln City, then as a football club we have to look at that.”
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It remains to be seen how much Lincoln will demand.
TBR understands that at least four Championship clubs are considering offers at this stage. The prospect of joining league leading West Brom or third-place Burnley will surely appeal to Erhahon, given that both teams could be playing Premier League football 12 months from now.
Burnley and West Brom lost their first-choice defensive midfielders over the summer too. Okay Yokuslu returned to Turkey with Trabzonspor, while Sander Berge joined Fulham despite interest from Manchester United.
Hull and Norwich, meanwhile, have won just three games between them while making underwhelming starts to the new campaign.
There is a chance, however, that Erhahon may feel that regular first-team minutes would be more attainable than at Carrow Road or the MKM than at Turf Moor or The Hawthorns.
Averaging the third-most passes in the Lincoln team, Erhahon is the man who tends to make Skubala’s Imps tick. Speaking to The Football League Paper recently, he opened up on his admiration for the role Spain star Rodri plays at Manchester City.
“Rodri is not just one of the best defensive midfielders in the world, he’s one of the best players,” Erhahon said
“You can see how important he is to Man City and I want to replicate that at Lincoln.”
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