Michael Skubala Close to Joining Bristol City
Michael Skubala is on the brink of swapping Sincil Bank for Ashton Gate, with Bristol City closing in on a three-year deal that would end one of the most impressive managerial stints in Lincoln City’s history.
According to John Percy, negotiations between Skubala and City are “ongoing” but advanced, with the Robins moving quickly after a chaotic week in their own search. If, as expected, he signs, Lincoln will lose a head coach who departs with the second-best win percentage the club has ever seen and a season many around the Imps regard as their finest.
Bristol City’s search takes a twist
This has not been a clean, clinical appointment process. Far from it.
When Bristol City first made contact a couple of weeks ago, the approach felt tentative, almost exploratory. Inside Lincoln circles, there was no real sense of alarm. Skubala’s work had attracted attention, but nothing suggested an imminent exit.
Then the picture changed.
James Ellis, a close friend of Skubala, stepped in as sporting director at Ashton Gate. Suddenly, the dots were easier to join. Skubala moved from being one of several options to a serious contender, his stock rising on the back of Lincoln’s controlled, progressive football and strong results.
Just as the move gathered pace, Bristol City appeared to slam the door shut. They turned to their preferred candidate, Tommy Elphick, and lined him up as the man to lead them forward. Reports emerged that Skubala was instead edging towards a new deal with the Imps. For Lincoln, it looked like a scare survived.
Then came the latest twist.
Elphick, it is reported, turned down the job, choosing to remain at Dean Court and continue his work under Bournemouth’s new manager. Bristol City were left exposed, their first-choice plan gone. The search that had seemed wrapped up was suddenly back at square one.
They went back to the man they already knew could do the job.
By yesterday, attention had swung firmly back to Skubala. Talks accelerated. A three-year agreement is now believed to be close, and it would be a major surprise if he were still in the Lincoln dugout by the time pre-season friendlies come around.
What next for Lincoln?
For Lincoln, the issue is no longer whether Skubala stays. It is how they respond.
The club have worked with a clear structure in recent years, and with that comes a succession plan. Every head coach appointment leaves behind a list: names, profiles, potential fits. Sometimes it’s a single standout candidate; sometimes a group. Either way, Lincoln have not been operating on guesswork.
The expectation around the club is that the appointment will be swift. That should not be mistaken for panic. Lincoln’s recent development suggests a club that plans for disruption rather than reacts to it.
Inside that framework, one option stands out: continuity from within.
Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen are natural internal candidates to step up. Under Skubala, the environment has been collaborative, not dominated by one all-powerful figure. Decisions have been shared, ideas pooled. That kind of culture lends itself to evolution rather than revolution.
Promote from within, move everyone up a rung, and fill the gaps lower down. The thinking is simple: keep the identity, keep the work, keep the momentum.
A Brentford-style blueprint
Lincoln’s ideal model looks a lot like the one that has served Brentford so well.
Dean Smith built a vibrant, upwardly mobile side there. When he moved on, Brentford didn’t chase a big name from the managerial carousel. They elevated Thomas Frank, who already understood the club’s data-driven approach, the squad dynamics, the expectations.
Frank then took them into the Premier League. When he departed, they again resisted the urge to rip everything up. They promoted set-piece coach Keith Andrews to head coach, a move that kept the club’s principles intact. The result? Brentford have finished in the Premier League’s top ten in three of the last four seasons.
No desperate lunge for a familiar name. No scramble for a “Wanrock” type figure to appease social media. Just a calm, deliberate succession plan built on knowledge of the club and its culture.
Lincoln aspire to that kind of stability. A head coach walking into a job already fluent in the language of the club, already trusted by players, already aligned with the owners’ vision. That is the attraction of Shaw and Cohen, and of an internal solution in general.
A new era forming
For now, Lincoln wait.
Wait for Bristol City to finalise the deal. Wait for the official confirmation that Skubala, the architect of one of their most memorable campaigns, is heading for the Championship.
When that comes, it will not just mark the end of a successful chapter. It will test everything Lincoln have been building behind the scenes: their structure, their planning, their belief in a joined-up way of working.
Their Championship era looks set to begin with a new man in the Ashton Gate dugout and a new voice leading the Imps. The real question is not who leaves next, but whether Lincoln can turn this moment of uncertainty into the next step of their own long-term design.
