Lincoln City have tabled a new contract to manager Michael Skubala in a bid to fend off interest from Championship rivals Bristol City.
The Football Lowdown exclusively reported yesterday that both Bournemouth assistant Tommy Elphick and an unnamed EFL manager were the final two candidates to take over at Ashton Gate, with the Telegraph later revealing that the latter was the Imps boss.
Lincoln State Terms
However, in a bid to fend off the Robins’ attempted poaching of Skubala, Lincoln City have decided to offer the former Leeds United man an improved contract, as per BBC Radio Lincolnshire.
The 43-year-old has a seven-figure release clause in his recently signed deal at Sincil Bank, which Bristol City had reportedly activated last week, but now with interest emerging, the Imps are preparing a fresh deal with improved terms.
Skubala has already been made the highest-paid manager in the history of the club with his existing deal, which was signed in 2024, running until the end of the 2027/28 campaign.
It was believed that the Lincoln head had rejected a previous approach from the Cider Army, which prompted them to pursue Portsmouth’s John Mousinho in their quest to permanently replace Gerhard Struber.
However, interest in the Pompey man has since gone cold, with Andoni Iraola’s assistant at Bournemouth in Tommy Elphick the other contender to take on the hotseat in the South West.
Imps Eye Continuity
Michael Skubala is beloved at Lincoln City, so it is fairly obvious that they would take steps to continue their association with their manager given the glory he has brought to the club.
In the time since his previous deal was signed, the 43-year-old has pushed the Imps to new heights and trounced League One with relative ease, going on a record-breaking winning streak to clinch the third-tier title.
Bristol City certainly recognise the job he has done at Sincil Bank, as have many other clubs who have tried and failed to poach Skubala, and would certainly be in a much better place to return to promotion contention with him at the helm.
However, with his foundations already in place at Lincoln and a new contract now on the table for him to consider, the Robins’ quest to appoint a new manager may lean more towards Elphick.
With Andoni Iraola already on his way out at Bournemouth and no news as to who will replace the Spaniard in Dorset, now might be the best time for the former Cherries defender to jump ship and try and make a name for himself.
