Imps' Irish Eyes Not Smiling

22nd November 2009

Lincoln City's hopes of signing a new winger appear to have been dashed at least for the time being.

The Imps are trying to sign winger James McClean from League of Ireland club Derry City. I say "League Of Ireland club" but Derry's membership to the league has been revoked due to disciplinary reasons. This has seen the players become free agents, which many thought meant that they could sign for another club immediately. Indeed, Lincoln manager Chris Sutton had expected McClean to make his debut against Grimsby Town yesterday but his hopes were dashed after the Football Association of Ireland blocked the move as the transfer window is shut. This means that McClean will not be able to join Lincoln until the transfer window re-opens in January.

Speaking of the situation, a top Irish agent Gerry Carlile said: "I understand that there are rules but surely this is a special case. Lincoln have told me that the FA will be in touch with FIFA to try to sort the situation out. It is a ludicrous situation."

To read the full interview with Carlile, please click here.

McClean seems like the kind of player that supporters will generally feel optimistic about, for he is a Northern Ireland Under-21 international, who played in their recent 1-1 draw against the German Under-21 side.

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