Tottenham are set to complete their first Championship loan of the summer, with Irish forward Mason Melia closing in on a move to Lincoln City for the 2026/27 campaign.
Spurs have opted for permanent sales rather than loans thus far, with Radu Dragusin the only man to be sent away on a temporary basis. Fiorentina also have the option to buy the Romanian defender outright next year.
The club has overseen the departures of Will Lankshear and Alfie Devine to the second tier, collecting a combined £26.5m for the two youngsters. Lankshear spent last season on loan at Oxford United, while Devine has joined Preston North End for a club-record fee after shining at Deepdale.
Championship loans were thus prosperous for the Lilywhites last term, even if Yang Min-hyeok wasted the second half of his campaign at Coventry City after a bright start with Portsmouth.
Lincoln City winning race for Mason Melia loan
Spurs paid a League of Ireland record fee to sign Melia in 2025, and he officially joined the club at the start of 2026.
The young Irishman certainly didn't take long to get into his work in north London, scoring three minutes into his debut for the U21s. Melia was also included on the touring squad Down Under and made his senior bow off the bench in the 1-1 draw against Sydney FC.
Mason Melia just 3️⃣ minutes into his debut! 👊
— Tottenham Hotspur Academy (@Spurs_Academy) April 4, 2026
Watch live on SPURSPLAY 📺 https://t.co/VHDGGkRNio pic.twitter.com/ebRWzOq68Q
Despite his youth—Melia's only 18—the striker racked up almost 100 senior appearances for St Patrick’s Athletic across the Irish Sea, and Spurs believe a move to the physically demanding Championship would be best for his development at this early juncture.
Up to 30 clubs reportedly enquired about the young striker, but Spurs have chosen the newly promoted Lincoln to take care of Melia for the upcoming season. The loan hasn't been completely agreed yet, although Pete O'Rourke suggests the deal could be finalised within 24 hours.
Melia is a young striker with lots of promise
Melia is a multi-faceted centre-forward who primarily operates as a lone No. 9. He boasts the athleticism to run the channels and is stiff enough to resist pressure from behind to hold the ball up. The Irishman's technical ability is hugely encouraging, and his positional flexibility means he can drift from a central position.
How Lincoln will set up under new co-managers Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw is unclear. Still, Melia is seemingly versatile enough to perform different roles in attack, and it certainly seems that he'd be particularly useful in transition.
He's direct and a strong carrier of the ball, wanting to drop between the lines to run at defenders. His finishing is a notable strength, too, and Melia's canny movement often means he generates multiple chances for himself per game.
The 18-year-old is one of Ireland's most highly-rated prospects for a reason, and while there are no guarantees that the teenager will prosper with the Imps in the second tier, his senior experience back home gives him a better chance of coping.
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