Bristol City: Michael Skubala to raid Lincoln? Imps trio tipped to be on transfer radar | OneFootball

Lincoln City's fan pundit shares their thoughts on whether Michael Skubala will poach any players from the club this summer

Lincoln City will be playing second-tier football for the first time in 65 years next season after a historic campaign, but will be without their head coach, who orchestrated that feat, as fears of him coming back to haunt them this summer emerge.

Lincoln supporters couldn't have asked for a much better year if they tried, with the Imps earning a historic promotion to the Championship, in its modern form, for the first time in their history, and the first time they will be playing second-tier football since 1961.

England hadn't lifted the World Cup, the Beatles hadn't released their first song, and humans were yet to step foot on the moon the last time the minnows played at this level, as they carry a 29-game unbeaten run into next campaign, where they will be hoping to continue to extend that incredible form.

However, they will have to do it without former head coach Michael Skubala, who was at the forefront of that run, following the 43-year-old's departure to division rivals Bristol City.

This was despite being offered fresh terms to remain at Sincil Bank, as previous assistant managers Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw take the reins as a duo in the dugout.

Skubala's move to Ashton Gate comes as a huge blow for Lincoln, it goes without saying, and Imps supporters will be hoping he doesn't pile on the misery by attempting to poach some of their stars this summer.

Michael Skubala backed to avoid poaching Lincoln City stars this summer following Bristol City switch

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On an extremely tight budget, Skubala masterminded a truly incredible promotion with Lincoln against teams with ample financial capacity, with the likes of Luton Town, Huddersfield Town, and Bolton Wanderers finishing well beneath them in the third tier.

The former Leeds United assistant boss has helped to amplify numerous Lincoln players' profiles as a result of their success, and may be tempted to work with a few of them again.

Football League World's Lincoln fan pundit, Gary Hutchinson, has shared their thoughts on whether they see Skubala looking to sign any Imps players this summer, or if he will avoid returning to his old stomping ground - and whilst it's not thought he will be haunting his former club by poaching any players, three individuals have been name-dropped as ones that could be eyed up.

Gary told FLW: "I'm not one-hundred per cent sure that Michael Skubala will come in and be looking at trying to buy any Lincoln City players. I think that's the first thing to state.

"I think Bristol City will be looking at top-end Championship [players], so Michael Skubala is going to be looking at players that he believes could get Bristol City into the Premier League. And whilst Lincoln were excellent last season, I think that we have a squad of players that will be looking to fight for and hopefully achieve survival. So I think that they're two really different markets.

"Now, if he were to come in and if he were to be looking for a player, I think it would probably be two. I know there are rumours of Bristol City signing Sam Tickle, but I haven't seen it confirmed yet. But I think that Michael would put his trust in George Wickens to be a top-end Championship number one.

"I don't think that there's an awful lot to argue against that. He's six-foot-five, he's good in the air, he's good at shot-stopping. He was really good last season, a decent goalkeeper, certainly has the potential to play higher. So he's one that I think if Michael were to come in for anyone, it would be.

"And the other one, it's fairly obvious, would be Jack Moylan. For obvious reasons, Jack, I mean, Michael really loved Jack, called him his magic man. He's capable of creating something from nothing. You could argue that by moving over to Bristol, he'd be a little bit closer to Ireland for home, so it might suit Jack. But again, I can't see it happening.

"One really left field one, as well, would be Freddie Draper. I really like Fred, he's a big bustling centre-forward. He's got a decent eye for goal. He was bullying centre-halves last season, particularly Luton, and Bradford didn't know what to do with him.

"I think he's going to be an interesting player this season, and if Bristol City were looking for that kind of Sinclair Armstrong replacement, somebody who's a bit big, a bit mobile, might not get most of the goals, but you can play off the bits and pieces, then potentially Freddie.

Lincoln City will be hoping Michael Skubala does not return for transfer business with Bristol City

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Of course, Lincoln will be hoping to keep their star assets this summer following promotion, as losing key members of the squad would drastically damage their chances of survival.

The likes of Wickens, Moylan, and Draper will be among their most coveted players heading into the transfer window, and will be hoping offers are scarce for their stars.

Given the financial disparity between Lincoln and the rest of the division, the Imps will be up against it from minute one, and keeping hold of their best players still may not be enough.

However, they will fancy their chances much more with each of Wickens, Moylan, and Draper in the side, and will be hoping Skubala does not come back to haunt them over the coming months.