Lincoln City have agreed a deal with defender Lewis Montsma, who has signed a short-term contract to remain with the Imps for the next six months.
Montsma joined the Imps in the summer of 2020 and was a first-team regular across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 seasons. His contract expired at the end of last season, but the club have moved to offer him a lifeline.
Two ACL injuries have restricted his availability over the past two seasons, but he has continued his recovery at the club, and as he approaches a return to training, the player valued at £175,000 by Transfermarkt has penned an extension to stay at City.
”Lincoln feels like home and I’m very happy we could agree something and to sign,” said Montsma, who move from FC Dordrecht in the Eerste Divisie.
“The support of the club has been brilliant and it works both ways – they know what I can do and how hard I work, and they’ve put a lot of trust in me. There’s no better place to get back to my levels than here at Lincoln City.
“The fans have always been good to me when injured, they’ve given me a boost to work hard and come back again, and I can’t wait until I play in front of them again.”
It has been rumoured that the defender would be offered a short-term deal to prove himself once again, and Director of Football Jez Goerge confirmed it was the ‘right’ thing to do.
“This is the right thing to do for Lewis. We are looking after Lewis as a person first and foremost. That is our driver. We also know the quality of Lewis as a player but that will be a consideration later.
“Our fundamental aim is to get him back playing and for that we need more time, hence the contract extension. We also believe we should be the club which takes on that responsibility and ensures that we do so with Lewis’s absolute best long-term interests at heart.”
Montmsa was an instant success with the Imps, scoring six goals in his first nine outings. However, George warned that fans may need to be patient, givne the severity of the player’s injury.
“We all need to be patient and accept that Lewis’ return to action will look different to everyone else’s pre-season but it is brilliant that we can look forward to seeing Lewis again in a Lincoln City shirt. I am sure that our fans are proud to support a club with the values to make this decision.
“I would like to mention one more person because while it is a team effort, with everyone from Clive Nates and Harvey Jabara to the board, Liam Scully, Michael Skubala and all the coaching, medical and sports science staff having supported Lewis, it would be remiss of me not to highlight the professional and emotional investment of Kieran Walker, our head of medical, throughout the rehab process with Lewis from two ACL reconstructions. He has been immense.”
The Imps finished 7th in League One last season, playing with three at the back. Over the summer, they released TJ Eyoma and missed out on former loan player Alex Mitchell, who signed for Charlton.
Writer’s View
This is big news for Imps fans. Montsma became something of a cult hero, but those two injuries have put the brakes on what was a promising career. That said, Jodi Jones has proven that bouncing back from ACL injuries is possible – he’s been immense for Notts County since his return. Anything is possible.
As for the Imps, they need defensive cover. They lost TJ Eyoma over the summer and were thought to be keen on signing Mitchell before the price went north. If they stick to three at the back, then expect another signing across the back three. That will give them cover to take the risk on Montsma.
If he gets fit, Lewis Montsma could yet be a big player for the Imps.
