Exclusive News indicates that Imps Pursuing a Deal For 25-Year-Old was completed
Unsurprisingly, the Imps have been linked with another right back, and it’s not a new name either. Alan Nixon has stated on his Patreon that City are eyeing a move for Jordan Gabriel, a story which he first put out in March.
However, sources have told The Stacey West that the club are not currently pursuing a deal for the defender, meaning that today’s story is just paper talk. Several outlets have been happy to run with it, but we’re late because, with it being a Sun story, we wanted to double-check the facts!
Of course, it feels like an easy pick, us having just sold a right back. Oxford and Blackpool are the sort of teams we tend to be grouped with when talking about transfers. We feel a bit like a trio of clubs of similar stature whom journalists find it easy to lump together. There’s no doubt he is a talented player, but at this moment in time, talk of us being involved is just not true.
Gabriel is currently on the books at Bloomfield Road, where he made ten League One starts for Neil Critchley’s side coming off the bench 11 times.
He began his career as a youth with Arsenal and Southend, joining Forest’s academy in 2015. He turned pro at The City Ground in 2016, making his debut against Arsenal in the League Cup. After a trial at Port Vale, he moved to Scunthorpe on loan, playing nine times in League Two.
Following his Championship debut for Forest, he moved to Blackpool on loan in the 2020/21 season and was part of their squad that eventually pipped us to a place in the Championship. He only appeared for ten minutes against us during the thrilling 2-2 draw that reignited our play-off ambitions, but he was an unused sub in the final.
Following the Tangerines’ promotion, he made a permanent switch, penning a four-year deal. He played 41 times across their two-year stay in the Championship, suffering a knee injury against Millwall in April 2023, which kept him out until December of this season. He had already missed four months of the season after suffering a similar injury the previous October.
However, that is all academic because, as things stand, he won’t be a Lincoln City player next season
Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala has given his thoughts ahead of a first pre-season with the club.
The former Leeds United under-21s boss and first team caretaker believes time on the training pitch ahead of the new season will be important.
Training starts on Friday, June 28, before a pre-season trip to Spain. They will face SkyBet Championship side Preston North End on Friday, July 12, at the Pinatar Arena in south-east Spain’s San Pedro del Pinatar.
Lincoln City will then face Oldham Athletic (July 20) and Harrogate Town (July 27), who they have been drawn against in the Carabao Cup first round, in back-to-back away games.
