Huddersfield Town have identified Lincoln City’s Michael Skubala as a target for their managerial vacancy.
The Terriers’ chair Kevin Nagle acted swiftly in the wake of their loss to Burton Albion on Saturday, with the decision to sack the 42-year-old confirmed later that evening.
Now, as they begin their hunt for a new figurehead at the Accu Stadium, they have turned to a target so often linked to EFL vacancies.
Skubala Switch Possible?
According to Football League World, Huddersfield are interested in a move to poach Lincoln City’s Michael Skubala, who has the Imps in with a strong chance of automatic promotion to the Championship.
The report, which states that the former Leeds United caretaker is a “top target”, has impressed the hierarchy at Town, who will be looking for their seventh permanent manager in the time that Skubala has been at Sincil Bank.
Lee Grant had previously been full of praise for the Imps’ boss, who he described as the “best manager in League One” heading into their New Year’s Day clash which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Terriers, who face off at home against West Yorkshire – and promotion – rivals Bradford City in their next game, are no strangers to taking managers from Lincoln, having done so with Danny Cowley back in 2019.
Skubala is still in his first full senior management role, having been taken from Leeds back in 2023, months after a brief three-game stint in temporary charge at Elland Road between Jesse Marsch’s sacking and the appointment of now-Watford boss Javi Gracia.
Would A Move Happen?
With Michael Skubala flying with Lincoln City right now and a weekend’s worth of results that has created a small but crucial buffer between them and third-placed Bradford City right now, making the switch to Huddersfield Town does not make much sense.
Currently having a ten-point advantage over his potential future employers and a squad of his own creation, the 43-year-old is in the perfect environment right now to secure a place in the Championship.
Huddersfield have been very demanding of immediate success under Kevin Nagle’s reign, with Michael Duff suffering his fate as a result of missing out on the playoffs last season.
Placing Skubala into that situation and having a limited amount of time left in the window may be a recipe for disaster and could see someone who has done so well at Lincoln out of a job by the end of the season.
Unless they are prepared to go in for the long haul and allow a manager the time to put a squad together they want, which Skubala could certainly be, the Terriers looked doomed to repeat the same mistakes and fail to get back into the Championship.