Michael Skubala Nears Bristol City Job as Lincoln City Prepares for Change

Michael Skubala is closing in on the Bristol City job, and Lincoln City are bracing themselves for the end of a remarkable chapter.

According to John Percy, negotiations between Skubala and the Championship club are ongoing, with a three-year deal close to being signed. If the move is completed, Lincoln’s head coach will leave with the second-best win percentage in the club’s history, fresh from a season many around Sincil Bank regard as their finest.

Bristol City circle back

This has not been a straightforward courtship. Bristol City’s first approach a couple of weeks ago barely registered as a genuine threat in Lincoln circles. Interest, yes. Imminent departure, no.

Then the mood changed.

Skubala’s stock rose quickly at Ashton Gate, helped by the presence of his friend James Ellis, who recently took over as sporting director. The connection mattered. Suddenly, Skubala was no longer just on a list; he was a serious contender.

Then came the twist.

Bristol City moved for their preferred option, Tommy Elphick, last week. That appeared to close the door on Skubala. Some reports even suggested he was close to signing a new deal with Lincoln, the story drifting towards a neat, tidy ending.

It didn’t last long. Elphick is now reported to have turned down the job, choosing instead to stay at Dean Court under Bournemouth’s new manager. The plan collapsed, and Bristol City were left scrambling.

Their gaze turned straight back to Skubala.

Talks accelerated on Thursday. A deal is now thought to be agreed in principle, and it would be a major surprise if Skubala is still in the Lincoln dugout by the time pre-season friendlies come around.

Lincoln’s next move

So the focus sharpens on Lincoln. What comes after Skubala?

The club have worked in recent years with a clear structure and a defined succession mindset. Every manager comes with a contingency: a shortlist, a preferred profile, sometimes a ready-made internal option. That sort of planning has underpinned their steady growth.

All of that points towards a swift appointment once Skubala’s exit is confirmed. Quick, though, does not mean panicked. At Lincoln, speed is usually a sign of preparation, not desperation.

There will be plenty of outside noise, plenty of familiar names thrown around, but the club’s recent history suggests they will trust their process rather than chase the managerial merry-go-round.

Internal answers?

One obvious route would be to look within. The current coaching setup under Skubala has been notably collaborative, less about one dominant figure and more about a collective brain trust.

That is why the idea of Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen stepping up carries weight. Elevating the existing staff would preserve the playing style, the training-ground standards and the cultural identity that have driven Lincoln’s rise. Everyone shifts up a rung, and the club fill the gaps further down the ladder rather than tearing up the structure at the top.

It is a model that has worked elsewhere.

Brentford remain the standout example. Dean Smith built them into one of the most admired sides in the Championship. When he left, they didn’t reach for a big name; they promoted assistant Thomas Frank. Frank then took them into the Premier League. When he moved on, they turned again to continuity, appointing set-piece coach Keith Andrews as head coach. The outcome? Another top-half finish in the Premier League, three times in four seasons.

No star-chasing. No short-term fix. Just a smooth handover, with each new head coach already steeped in the club’s methods, players, ownership and culture.

That is the sort of calm, joined-up thinking Lincoln aspire to.

A new era looming

For now, Lincoln wait. Official confirmation from Bristol City will trigger the next phase, but the sense is clear: the Skubala era is nearing its end just as the club’s Championship ambitions harden into something more concrete.

He will leave, if and when the deal is signed, having taken Lincoln to heights that will be hard to ignore for his successor.

The question is no longer whether change is coming. It is who Lincoln trust to carry a club on the rise into its next, defining step.