Cheltenham Town announced the signing of former Lincoln City player Ellis Chapman yesterday, bringing to an end the saga surrounding the youngster’s future.
The 19-year-old, who served both lincoln and Leicester City as a youth, was offered a new deal by League One Lincoln but opted not to sign. He has spent the summer searching for a new club, with Cheltenham finally securing his services after the board pushed through the budget for a new recruit.
Chapman was a darling of former Lincoln manager Danny Cowley, who trusted him enough to play him away at Everton in the FA Cup and joked he would be worth a couple of million one day. Last season, he appeared sporadically under new boss Michael Appleton, but wasn’t a regular first-team player, prompting him to look elsewhere for his football.
In the past, he was linked with moves to Derby County and Southampton amongst others but has now made the switch to Gloucestershire, looking to reignite his career. He played his most consistent football during a loan spell with Chesterfield, appearing 17 times for them in 2018/19.
Lincoln fans have been sad to see the youngster go. he came through their academy and is the son of former Imps’ prospect Darren Champman, and was very much ‘one of their own’ in terms of homegrown talent. They’ve spent the last 24 hours reacting to the move, as you’ll see below. One poster even likened him to Sam Clucas, the Lincoln-born youngster rejected by the club who later made multi-million-pound moves and played in the top flight.
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https://twitter.com/impyblue/status/1316769345142484993
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https://twitter.com/LincolnCity1884/status/1316757597761032197
https://twitter.com/impsteaderz/status/1316787453571760130
https://twitter.com/Dazmanfreemo79/status/1316804540327395329
https://twitter.com/KlSte40/status/1316805083221368835
https://twitter.com/vinceandpen/status/1316764506287005701
