City have completed the permanent signing of Zak Bradshaw from Sky Bet Championship side Ipswich Town, as expected from yesterday’s deadline day business.
The 20-year-old progressed through the Academy at Ipswich before loan spells at Bury Town, Chelmsford City, Braintree, Bromley and most recently, Woking, where he enjoyed regular first-team football. He was only recalled this week, clearly with a view to signing for the Imps. He has penned a deal with Michael Skubala’s side until at least the end of the 2025/26 season.
As expected, he will go out on loan to continue the next stage of his development, with this move to be announced as soon as it can be to a club that is able to sign players despite Thursday’s closure of the EFL January transfer window. That means it is likely to either be a National League loan or potentially a League of Ireland switch,
“Zak is a really interesting player being left-footed and with the attributes that fit our recruitment profile for several positions,” City’s director of football Jez George said. “He has already played a number of games in the National League, and we think that he has real potential.
“We would like to thank Ipswich Town for allowing Zak to spend this week with us so that we could see him in our environment. He has really impressed Michael and the coaching staff with his ability, application, and attitude. It is really important that Zak keeps playing, and therefore, we are currently assessing the best options for him to go out on loan until the end of season.”
What is important to note is Zak’s versatility. During his various loan spells, he’s played as a left centre-back, a holding midfielder, and even a left winger. It feels to me as though he could be someone like Jack Burroughs, able to play longer-term down the left side of the pitch.
This signing is very much like that of Jay Benn, who is hugely impressing at Solihull Moors. I don’t think we’ll see him in a Lincoln shirt this season, but it’s another example of us rolling the dice on a player we believe could go on to be a real asset.
