Lincoln City’s long game: Michael Skubala, AI and youth development driving push for the Championship

Michael Skubala has guided Lincoln City to sustained overperformance relative to the club’s budget and is combining recruitment, analytics and a youth development model to try to reach the Championship.

Skubala, appointed in November 2023, has 41 wins in 96 games in charge and — according to club and industry comparisons — is the Imps’ most successful manager of the past 25 years when league position is measured against playing budget. Lincoln sit four points off the top of League One after seven games and have reached the third round of the Carabao Cup, drawing Premier League side Chelsea on Sept. 23.

The 42-year-old former PE teacher and academy coach described the club’s development as deliberate and long-term. "We've tried to do that with our recruitment," Skubala said, referring to additions intended to add quality and depth in areas that become exposed in winter months. "Sometimes football tips your way and sometimes it doesn't. We're just trying to make sure we have those bits in place so it tips our way."

Recruitment this summer mixed experienced professionals and younger prospects. Seasoned defenders and midfielders such as Sonny Bradley and Adam Reach joined the squad alongside new signings including Ukrainian midfielder Ivan Varfolomeev, signed for a club-record fee from Slovan Liberec, and loans for Everton’s Francis Okoronkwo and Wolves’ Dexter Lembikisa. The club also generated transfer income, selling Ethan Erhannon and former academy graduate Jovon Makama for club-record fees to Bolton and Norwich City, respectively.

Skubala emphasised balance between developing talent and competing at League One level. "At Lincoln the club wants me and the coaching staff to develop players, and then we must sell them," he said. "We’ve done that well in this window and we want to replenish the next generation of that. But at the same time it’s about getting the balance between that and the experience of League One and winning games."

Lincoln have a notable recent record of producing young players. Academy graduates who progressed through the LNER Stadium system include Brennan Johnson, Morgan Rogers and Harry Toffolo. Current young players in the senior squad include Freddie Draper, Rob Street and goalkeeper George Wickens, who play alongside experienced figures such as captain Tendayi Darikwa and 34‑year‑old striker James Collins.

The club has also leaned into technological innovation. Lincoln employ a chief growth and innovation officer, Jason Futers, and have used artificial intelligence and analytics to work on set pieces and player performance. The club recorded thousands of set-piece examples and practised them three to four times a week; Lincoln scored 30 goals from set pieces last season, the most recorded in the English Football League.

"Football can be very stuck in its ways of doing things," Skubala said. "I get really excited when I think about the club being innovative in different areas, but how we translate that into improving performance is the key bit and we had success last year with set pieces. We can't compete on salaries and finances, but we can compete on different areas that others may not think will improve performance."

Skubala’s coaching background is unorthodox for a manager who has risen quickly through the English football system. He worked in academy roles, served as director of football at Loughborough University — where he taught Kieran McKenna — coached the England men’s futsal team and worked with England Under-18s. He later joined Leeds United as under-21s coach and was interim first-team boss for three games in February 2023 after Jesse Marsch’s departure before moving to Lincoln.

The club’s cup run this season and the scheduled third-round visit from Chelsea have energised the city. Skubala acknowledged the scale of the task but stressed the opportunity: "Chelsea is a great draw and everyone's buzzing around the city. We just want to give a good show of ourselves. The world champions are coming to town, and we're really excited by that. We know how tough it's going to be, but we want to win."

Lincoln’s recent cup history underscores the potential impact of a high-profile run. In 2016‑17 the club became the first non-league side in more than a century to reach the FA Cup quarterfinals, an achievement that brought national attention and helped fund a training ground described by the club as "Championship level."

Chairman Clive Nates has spoken publicly about the need for further investment to meet the club’s ambitions of reaching the Championship. Skubala said the club’s approach is to avoid shortcuts and to stay on a steady trajectory. "We're all striving to do that (get to the Championship)," he said. "But we're not going to take a left when we need to take a right because left looks like it's a shortcut. Everyone agrees it’s going to be hard but the more we can keep growing in the right direction and the more we can become more competitive in everything it becomes more achievable."

Lincoln are in their seventh straight League One season and have reached the play-offs once in that period, losing the final to Blackpool four years ago. Skubala outlined realistic timelines, saying promotion may not happen this season but expressing confidence it can be achieved within the next few years if the club maintains its current strategy and continues to blend development with targeted recruitment.

The Imps’ next major test comes in the Carabao Cup against Chelsea, a fixture that will also serve as a measure of how far the club’s innovations and recent reinforcements have taken them. Skubala and his staff face the challenge of sustaining performance across a season while continuing to produce and sell young talent — a model that has proved both commercially and competitively valuable for the club to date.