Lincoln have acted quickly after Tendayi Darikwa was ruled out for the season with a knee injury. Daniel Oyegoke has joined from Hellas Verona on an undisclosed fee, and Chieo Ogbene has arrived on loan from Ipswich until January.

The Darikwa setback

BBC Sport reported that the move came just a week after Darikwa was ruled out, which explains the pace of Lincoln's business. That kind of timing usually tells you the club were not waiting for the market to settle. They wanted a right-back and a wide option, and they have moved for both.

Lincoln's recent form also gives the double signing a practical edge. They have won three of their last five matches across all competitions, so this is not a club scrambling out of a collapse. It looks more like a side trying to keep its momentum while filling a gap that cannot be ignored.

What Oyegoke and Ogbene add

Oyegoke's move is the more straightforward of the two. He is 23, and his spell at Verona lasted less than 18 months. The route back to England runs through Arsenal and Brentford, with a stint at Hearts in between, so this is a player who has already seen a few different settings before landing at Lincoln.

Verona's own season was grim enough to frame the move. They finished 19th in Serie A in 2025 with 21 points from 38 league matches, and Oyegoke leaves after a difficult period rather than from a settled base. That context does not make him a guaranteed answer at right-back, but it does make the transfer easier to understand.

Ogbene gives Lincoln a different sort of option. The 29-year-old Republic of Ireland international has had a spell at Luton in the Premier League and a loan stint at Sheffield United last season. This is his fourth move in as many years, and it gives Lincoln a player used to changing surroundings quickly.

BBC Sport said Lincoln have signed right-back Daniel Oyegoke from Verona and brought in Ipswich winger Ogbene on loan. Ipswich's next three league fixtures are Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Everton, so the loan also sits against a busy early run for his parent club. Lincoln have filled two obvious needs in one window move, and the next test for both signings comes in their first match for the club.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →