Michael Skubala Close to Bristol City Job
Michael Skubala is closing in on the Bristol City job, and it looks like Lincoln City are about to lose the architect of one of the finest seasons in their history.
According to John Percy, talks between Skubala and Bristol City are described as “ongoing”, but a three-year deal is understood to be close. If it gets done, the Imps will suddenly find themselves searching for a new head coach – and waving goodbye to a manager who leaves with the second-best win percentage the club has ever seen.
From distant interest to first choice again
What started as a background murmur has turned into a full-blown tug on Lincoln’s future. The first approach from Bristol City barely registered as a genuine threat. It felt exploratory, nothing more.
Then the pieces started to move.
James Ellis, a close friend of Skubala, arrived at Ashton Gate as sporting director. That changed the temperature of the conversation. Skubala was no longer just on a list; he was firmly in the frame.
And then, just as his prospects seemed to rise, they were pushed to one side. Bristol City moved for their preferred candidate, Tommy Elphick, last week. At that point, the story looked finished. Elphick in at Ashton Gate, Skubala staying put, and some outlets even suggesting the Lincoln boss was close to signing a new deal at Sincil Bank.
Then came the twist.
Elphick reportedly turned the job down, choosing instead to remain at Dean Court and continue his work under Bournemouth’s new manager. Bristol City’s plan collapsed in a moment, and the search swung back to a familiar name.
Skubala.
By yesterday, City had returned to the Lincoln head coach with renewed intent. Now, with a three-year agreement believed to be close, it would be a genuine surprise to see Skubala leading the Imps out for their pre-season friendlies.
What next for the Imps?
The focus now shifts to the other dugout – the one that might soon be empty.
Lincoln have not been a club that lurches from one idea to the next. There is a succession plan in place for every head coach, whether that means a detailed shortlist or a clear front-runner ready to step in. The expectation around the club is that the appointment will be swift, but speed here should not be mistaken for panic. This has been mapped out.
The current model at Lincoln is collaborative. Skubala has been the head coach, but the structure around him has been built on shared input rather than a single dominant voice. That is why the internal solution feels so compelling.
Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen stand out as natural candidates to step up. Promoting from within would keep the footballing identity intact, maintain continuity for the players, and reward the work already being done behind the scenes. Shift everyone up a level, then recruit further down the chain. The gap is filled without ripping out the framework.
It is a model that has worked elsewhere.
The Brentford blueprint
Brentford remain the modern reference point for this kind of thinking. Dean Smith lifted the club, then moved on. The response was not to rip everything up and start again, but to promote Thomas Frank from within the existing structure.
Frank then took Brentford into the Premier League. When he moved on, the club again turned inward, this time appointing set-piece coach Keith Andrews as head coach. The result? Another season finishing in the top ten of the Premier League for the third time in four campaigns.
No scramble for the same names that circle every vacancy. No desperate lunge for a “big” appointment to appease social media. Just a calm, coherent succession plan that keeps the culture intact and puts a new head coach in charge who already understands the club, the squad, the ownership and the expectations.
Lincoln, with their recent growth and stability, are well placed to follow a similar path.
A new era on and off the pitch
For now, Lincoln wait. Official confirmation, statements, the usual choreography of a modern managerial change – all of that still lies ahead.
But the direction of travel is clear. The club’s Championship era already felt like a step into something bigger on the pitch. Now it may also mark the start of a new chapter in the dugout.
The question is not whether Lincoln can replace Michael Skubala. It is whether they can turn this moment into the next carefully planned step in a project that has rarely looked more ambitious.
