A Lincoln City swoop for former loanee Anthony Elding looks unlikely after Crewe manager Gunnar Thordarson threw him a lifeline of sorts at Gresty Road.
"I believe they will come back reborn when the new season starts," Thordarson told BBC Radio Stoke, speaking not only of Elding but also of flops Joel Grant and Calvin Zola.
Zola joined Crewe for £200,000, Grant moved from Aldershot for £140,000, while Imps loanee Elding left Leeds for a fee of £160,000.
Elding who scored 26 goals in 43 starts for Stockport before joining Leeds, and scored three goals in his first month with the Alex. However a loss in form resulted in his Lincoln loan deal, where he managed just three goals including one on his debut against Brentford. It was thought Elding would return to Sincil Bank permanently in the summer, but Thordarson seems keen to have him back at Gresty Road.
"Some of the players the club brought in last summer still have to prove what they are capable of doing and it will be a big test for them," said the Icelander. "I honestly think that some of them have got more in their locker."
It is thought Thordarson was happy with Eldings desire and passion in the last three games of the season when he returned to the Alex first team. Had Crewe stayed in League One then a move may have been on the cards, but it’s now unlikely they’ll want to let a proven League Two goals corer go, and if they did they’d want to recoup significantly more of the £160,000 outlay than Lincoln are prepared to pay.
There is no mention however of want-away midfielder Michael O’Connor who has confessed to an Irish newspaper that there is a year long loan deal with Lincoln on the table for him. However rumours of Scunthorpe Utd tracking the midfielder continue to circulate, although as yet no firm bids have been lodged for the talented 21 year old midfielder. Imps messageboards have been jammed with demands to sign up O'Connor who spent three month with City at the end of last season after a fall out with the Crewe management.