Michael Skubala on Verge of Joining Bristol City

Michael Skubala is on the brink of swapping Sincil Bank for Ashton Gate, with Bristol City closing in on appointing the Lincoln City head coach on a three-year deal.

According to John Percy, negotiations are described as “ongoing”, but the shape of the agreement is already clear enough to leave Lincoln bracing for life after Skubala – a coach who would depart with the second-best win percentage in the club’s history and a campaign many around the club would call their finest.

Bristol City’s U-turn

This has not been a straight-line courtship.

Bristol City’s first approach a couple of weeks ago barely registered as a genuine threat in some quarters. A respectful enquiry, nothing more. Then the mood shifted. Skubala’s candidacy hardened once his close friend James Ellis walked through the doors at Ashton Gate as sporting director. Suddenly, this wasn’t background noise. It was a live possibility.

Then it seemed to fade. The Robins moved for their preferred option, Tommy Elphick, last week. Inside both clubs, the expectation was that Elphick would take the job and Skubala would stay put, with some reports suggesting he was close to signing a new deal with the Imps.

Just as it looked settled, the story turned again.

Elphick is now reported to have rejected the chance to lead Bristol City, opting instead to remain at Dean Court under Bournemouth’s new manager. That decision blew a hole in City’s plans and sent them scrambling back to a candidate they already knew well.

Their attention returned to Skubala on Thursday. Talks accelerated. A deal is now understood to be close enough that it would be a surprise to see him in the Lincoln dugout by the time pre-season friendlies begin.

Lincoln’s next move

So what comes next for the Imps?

Lincoln have long prided themselves on planning beyond the next result. For every head coach, there is a succession plan – whether that’s a shortlist of external candidates or a clear internal front-runner ready to step up.

The expectation is that the club will move quickly. That should not be mistaken for panic. This is how well-run clubs operate: decisions made early, scenarios mapped out, replacements lined up long before the ink dries on a departure.

There will be voices pushing for continuity. The current set-up under Skubala has been notably collaborative, less about one dominant figure and more about a coaching team working in concert. In that context, the idea of Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen stepping into greater responsibility carries obvious appeal. Shift everyone up a rung, plug the gaps further down, and preserve the culture that has underpinned Lincoln’s recent progress.

It’s an approach that has worked elsewhere.

The Brentford blueprint

Brentford remain the textbook case for this kind of joined-up thinking.

Dean Smith built a vibrant, upwardly mobile side in west London. When he left, the club didn’t panic or reach for a familiar name from the managerial carousel. They looked inward. Thomas Frank, already in the building, stepped up. Promotion followed.

When Frank moved on, Brentford again resisted the urge to chase the loudest name on the market. They promoted set-piece coach Keith Andrews to the top job. The result? Another season finishing in the Premier League’s top ten for the third time in four years, achieved without ever abandoning their identity.

No “merry-go-round” appointment. No desperate lunge for a headline-grabber. Just a smooth handover to someone who already understood the players, the owners, the data, the culture.

Lincoln, with their emphasis on structure and long-term planning, are well placed to follow a similar path if they choose.

A new era taking shape

For now, Lincoln wait. Skubala remains under contract, but the direction of travel is obvious. Bristol City have circled back, the deal is close, and the Championship club look set to get their man at the second attempt.

If and when the agreement is signed, Lincoln’s hierarchy will step into a moment they have been quietly preparing for: replacing a coach who has delivered one of the most impressive seasons in the club’s history.

Their response will say plenty about what kind of club Lincoln want to be in the next cycle – reactive, or ready.