Lincoln City: Imps can compete despite small budget, says Jez George (original) (raw)

Lincoln City are likely to break their transfer record repeatedly this summer but will still need to hunt for bargains as they try to compete in the Championship, says Imps sporting director Jez George.

It was as one of the smallest spenders in League One that Lincoln sealed promotion to the second tier after 65 years as League One title winners in 2025-26.

While promotion brings a financial boost of around £10m to the club, George says the backing of majority shareholder Ron Fowler - the American millionaire who is a former co-owner of Major League Baseball club San Diego Padres - will be key to building a side capable of staying in the division.

"When you get promoted with a 17th-place budget, even if you add £10m onto that – so, for argument's sake, saying that every single penny that comes into the football club for going up a level is invested into players - you still have a budget that's smaller than two or three in League One and would definitely be the smallest in the Championship," George told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

"We are very, very fortunate to have the support of Ron [Fowler] because not only will we have a budget that gives us a fighting chance and, while that might be the smallest budget in the Championship, it's a budget that we feel we can go and compete at some level to bring players in.

"The balance for us is spending the money wisely, of course. And the backing that we have from Ron gives us a chance."

How Lincoln try and build a team for the Championship, and what transfer fees it will take to try help make that happen, will come down to value for money at a club that has never paid more than £350,000 for a player.

That was a record set only last summer when they brought Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev to the LNER Stadium.

Lincoln are often lauded for spending their money smartly - with forward Jack Moylan costing around £50,000 from Shelbourne in January 2024.

Moylan went to become a central figure in Lincoln's promotion-winning campaign, and has become a Republic of Ireland international.

George says he, along with Imps director of talent identification Joe Hutchinson, have been "jumping on planes, trains and automobiles" since promotion was confirmed to try and find more of those players by scouring European leagues.

"We will undoubtedly break our transfer record this summer and we may do that on a multiple number of occasions, but they will only be done if it stacks up in terms of value, affordability and the player being ready to contribute immediately into the league and also have the attributes and the potential to be a significant future asset for the club," George said.

George added Lincoln would have to "show ambition" with their transfer targets but said the club would not risk overstretching itself.

"We will need to bring in some players a little bit more mature, with some games behind them and preferably those who have played in the Championship in the last season or two," George said.

"But that comes at a massive cost and what we don't want with wages is put ourselves in a position where, if the worst thing happens and we weren't to retain our status in the Championship, we create financial ruin for the football club.

"We have to be responsible, but we have to show enough ambition to give ourselves a chance of staying there as well."