Lincoln City reaction given to Jack Moylan news - Cardiff City are a 'much bigger club' | OneFootball

FLW's Lincoln City fan pundit insists he holds no grudges against winger Jack Moylan following his move to Championship rivals Cardiff City.

It has been a frustrating summer for Lincoln City following their promotion to the Championship.

It was an outstanding campaign for Lincoln last season as they won the League One title with a remarkable total of 103 points, but it has not been the summer the Imps would have been hoping for as they prepare to return to the second tier of English football for the first time in 65 years.

Lincoln City dealt fresh blow as Jack Moylan completes Cardiff City move

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Just weeks after their title-winning season concluded, Lincoln lost the man who masterminded their stunning promotion success, head coach Michael Skubala, who departed after almost three years in charge to take over at Bristol City.

The Imps wasted no time in replacing Skubala, promoting two of his coaches, Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, into a joint managerial role, but it seems the pair may have a tough task on their hands to keep the club in the Championship this season.

Lincoln have made four new signings this summer, with Joe Gauci, Andrei Coubis, Callum Elder and Mason Melia all arriving at Sincil Bank, but they suffered a huge blow this week as star man Jack Moylan left the club to join fellow newly-promoted side Cardiff City.

Moylan scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 31 appearances in League One last season to help his side to the title, but he has now made the move to South Wales, and while it is unclear exactly how much the Bluebirds have paid for the 24-year-old, the Imps have confirmed that the fee represents a club-record sale.

Lincoln City fan verdict issued as Jack Moylan departs for Cardiff City

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When asked for his reaction to Moylan's move to Cardiff, FLW's Lincoln City fan pundit Gary Hutchinson admitted that while he is disappointed to see the winger leave, he can understand why he was keen to join a bigger club like the Bluebirds.

"I'm gutted about Jack leaving," Gary told FLW.

"It's not really a surprise that he's gone to a team we've come up with because immediate circumstance doesn't dictate club size.

"While we won the league and Cardiff didn't, and we beat them twice last season, they're still a bigger club, they've got a big ground and they're a capital city club.

"When they dropped into League One, it was big news, like when Birmingham, Sunderland, Ipswich or Derby did, they were a big scalp.

"There's no doubt that, if they want to spend four times what we spend this season, they can.

"That's not me being bitter or salty, that's reality.

"They are a former Premier League club, they are a much, much bigger club than us.

"So it's no surprise, I would have been more surprised if it was Blackburn or Preston coming into buy him as both teams are smaller than Cardiff.

"In terms of a fee, it's got to be upwards of £2.5 million as far as I'm concerned, with add-ons taking it to twice that.

"We've got to look at a 20% sell-on clause, we've got to look at promotion bonuses and all that sort of stuff.

"Even £2.5 million would be disappointing really because we've just signed Andrei Coubis, people are saying it was for £2.5 million, so we would have sold Moylan for the sort of money that we're spending on players.

"I think that makes it a little bit harsh.

"When we sold Jovon Makama for £1.5 million, we could realistically look at bringing in two or three players for that.

"With the sort of waters we're fishing in now, selling Moylan for £2.5 million probably still brings us one player in of a similar standard.

"At the same time, you can't keep a player at the club if he doesn't want to be there, and while there's no suggestion that he was angling for a move, he was obviously happy to leave Lincoln, so you just have to crack on."

Jack Moylan, Cardiff City situation underlines brutal Lincoln City reality

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Lincoln's League One title victory was one of the best stories in the EFL last season, but with their manager and star player both departing this summer, the size of the challenge that lies ahead in the Championship is starting to become clear.

After the starring role he played for the Imps last season, it is little surprise that Moylan attracted interest from elsewhere this summer, but there may be some disappointment among the Sincil Bank faithful that he has joined a fellow newly-promoted side in Cardiff, rather than a more established second tier club.

While much of the rest of Lincoln's promotion-winning squad remains intact, it could be an uphill battle for the club to compete in the Championship without Moylan, and Cohen and Shaw will be desperate to bring in additional quality before the end of the transfer window.