Done Deals: Lincoln break the January mould on day one and Crawley add two in time for debuts – plus LouOrns on Boro’s not-so-new arrival...
Every day from Tuesday to Saturday, NTT20.COM writes-up and rates every single signing in the Championship, League One, and League Two.
Done Deals provides analysis and ratings for every signing in the EFL. The bulletin will be published Tuesday-Saturday mornings throughout the January Transfer Window. Contributors include: Ali Maxwell, George Elek, Sam Parry, Huw Davies, Riley Roberts, Matt Watts, Craig Bradley, Gab Sutton and Luke “LouOrns” McKenzie.
George Elek: We won’t be writing too many introductions to these bulletins. If you’ve been a subscriber for a while, you know the JTW drill: every EFL signing analysed.
The only changes this time around are:
The Headliner — Gab Sutton and Luke McKenzie join us to write up the day’s one bit of business that particularly caught their eye.
Impact Ratings — Instant impact is the watchword for so many January signings, and that’s what we’ll be measuring in our traffic light ratings system.
Publication days — Instead of Monday-Friday, these bulletins will run Tuesday-Saturday (two free, three paid; this one’s free).
Without further ado, take it away LouOrns…
Luke ‘LouOrns’ McKenzie on a new-old signing…
🟢 Adilson Malanda (CB) - [Charlotte FC - Middlesbrough] - Loan Ended
The deal was struck in August, and he was loaned back to Charlotte FC. Now Malanda is on Teesside and his international clearance has just gone through.
Good timing. Middlesbrough are in a defensive crisis and are currently playing Matt Targett and Luke Ayling at centre-back. Malanda, you’d think, will come straight into the starting XI against Southampton on Sunday. But what will he offer?
Whilst solid enough aerially, quick and strong, Malanda can be quite rash. He’s an aggressive defender who gets out quickly and will put his body on the line when needed – the 24-year-old led the MLS with a total of 49 blocked shots, 15 ahead of the next best.
It doesn’t show in the numbers, due to team play-style, but one of Malanda’s biggest strengths is his ability to punch passes through the lines. That could make a difference, given Kim Hellberg puts a lot of responsibility on his central defenders to build from the back.
🟢 Dion Sanderson (CB) - [Birmingham - Derby] - Undisclosed (loan turned permanent)
The 26-year-old defender has already made an impact, and his loan from Birmingham has been made permanent – a strategic move from Derby that allows them to free up a valuable loan slot.
Sanderson is always* trusted by John Eustace but not always loved in the stands. Fans have seen lapses in judgement as well as several stellar performances in the first half of the season. Even counting for the occasional error, though, his form has been more than good enough for his full transfer to be welcomed.
*No, really: always…
🟠 Josh Honohan (RB/LB/CB/LWB/RWB) - [Shamrock Rovers - Lincoln] - Undisclosed
This signing is the opposite of the make-our-season or save-our-season shopping that so often defines the January sales: a real prospect, a chunky fee by League One standards (north of £250,000), and the prospect of a bedding-in process, given that Adam Reach and Tendayi Darikwa are among the league’s most accomplished and consistent full-backs.
The right-footed Honohan, 24, has already been called up to the Republic of Ireland squad and has been one of the standout defenders in the League of Ireland, excelling as an inverted wing-back. Aggressive and attacking, he makes things happen.
This is a deal where immediate impact is not required, and those can sometimes be the smartest pick-ups of all.
🟠 Malik Owolabi-Belewu (CB) - [Forge FC - Chesterfield] - Free
It’s been a waiting game for Owolabi-Belewu and Chesterfield. The 23-year-old signed a pre-contract agreement to join the Spireites back in August. Since then, his minutes with Canadian side Forge have been phased out and he’s been training with Paul Cook’s squad. That should help him in getting up to speed, at least.
He’s got a standout profile: a good age, a good height, decent speed and – perhaps most attractively for a centre-back – he’s left-footed. These are all desirable attributes in the long term; still, we can’t expect his impact at the club to be immediate.
🟠 Freddie Ladapo (ST) - [Unattached - Chesterfield] - Free Transfer
You can tick ‘Journeyman striker joining League Two promotion hopefuls’ off your January transfer window bingo card!
At his best, Ladapo has impressive physicality and a real eye for goal. During his career, the 32-year-old has been fairly prolific at League One level, but not since 22/23. Three league goals in his last two seasons (albeit in limited minutes) would appear to be a reflection of a player past his best. Ladapo failed to score or impress at Huddersfield last season with Town fans scathing in their assessment of his performances.
Paul Cook already has an in-form Lee Bonis and a veteran Will Grigg, but Ladapo will offer him some variety in terms of striker profile.
🟠 Taylor Richards (CM) - [Unattached - Crawley] - Free
There was plenty of fanfare when Brighton paid Manchester City £2.5m for the 19-year-old Richards in 2019, and the fleet-footed midfielder initially justified that hype during a productive 2020/21 loan spell at Doncaster Rovers. Things have been far less smooth since. Now, following a forgettable couple of years with QPR, the former England youth international simply needs to play football.
At 25, and having spent the first half of the season as a free agent, this is a reset move. Scott Lindsey has polished rough diamonds at Crawley before, and Taylor Richards looks to fit that description. Three shots in a lively debut wasn’t a bad way to start.
🟢 Theo Vassell (CB) - [Unattached - Crawley] - Free
It’s a double deal for Crawley Town, with another free agent, Theo Vassell, arriving to bolster Lindsey’s squad. Vassell is a League Two stalwart, making 154 appearances at this level across the past six seasons.
He may not offer the in-possession skillset typically associated with a Crawley defender, but his appetite for defending should add much-needed solidity to the division’s third-worst defence. He offers a threat from set pieces, too: he wasn’t too far away with a header on debut and made 13 clearances from LCB as Crawley went down 2-1 to Salford.
He also turns 29 today. Happy birthday, Theo! Not quite Three-o Vassell, but close.
🔴 Grant Horton (CB) - [Waterford - Harrogate] - Free
A touch small for a centre-back (circa 6ft) but capable of covering right-back, Horton arrives at Harrogate Town from the League of Ireland. While he is unlikely to make a significant impact on League Two, he brings some good old-fashioned cover in a couple of positions, which is always handy during the run-in.
🔴 Iwan Morgan (ST) - [Brentford - Shrewsbury] - Loan
Morgan is a talented if lightweight 19-year-old poacher embarking on his first loan. He offers good movement and excellent finishing, which is why Brentford snapped up the Cardiffian (and first-language Welsh speaker) in 2023 after he scored silly numbers for Swansea’s Under-18s and sillier numbers for Wales’ U17s – seven goals across his first two 90s, plus a well-taken brace at the U17 Euros. After a slow start, he has continued to score very regularly for the Bees’ B team.
So, why the red traffic light? Because he’s a talented if lightweight 19-year-old poacher embarking on his first loan, and because Shrewsbury create next to nothing – just 0.9 xG per 90, with set pieces responsible for a big chunk of that. Plunderers of youth-team goals tend to endure a tough start in League Two, even without the pressure of needing to take every rare half-chance.
Morgan will learn plenty and fans should take to the personable young striker, but if he scores more than a handful of goals then this will have been a triumph of a loan placement.
As a Shamrock Rovers fan, I can tell you that Honahan won’t be long about breaking into the Lincoln side and keeping his place. Brilliant defensively and much improved going forward. Fully expect assists and goals to come