Lincoln City Head Coach Reacts to Losing Lasse Sorensen

Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala has described the exit of Lasse Sorensen as “difficult”, and provided hints on future transfer business.

The Danish wing-back left the Imps earlier in the summer window, joining fellow SkyBet League One side Huddersfield Town for an undisclosed fee reportedly worth up to £500,000.

During a media day hosted at the LNER Stadium, the Imps boss said: “It’s difficult, but I knew that coming to the club. I’m committed to what the club’s direction is and where it’s looking to go, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

Sorensen Exit Part of the Model:

Skubala believes Lincoln City’s transfer model has been evidenced by Sorensen’s sale to the former Premier League outfit.

He said: “The model is to do exactly what the club has done with Lasse, and what’s really nice about it is that it gets to a point where you can’t say no. That’s where I think that got to, and I wish Lasse all the best at his new club, except for two games [against Lincoln City].”

He echoed the words of Lincoln CEO Liam Scully, who said in a recent BBC Radio Lincolnshire interview that the wing-back’s sale evidences that City’s transfer model is working. The strategy boils down to buying young players, developing them, and then selling them onto the next level in their careers.

Seeking a Replacement:

Speaking to reporter Jamie Johnson on the media day that marked the EFL fixture release, Lincoln’s 140th anniversary and the opening of the club’s new Community Hub, Skubala shifted focus to the job of replacing Sorensen.

He said: “But, we have to go about replacing that. Jez [George – Lincoln City director of football] is a wise old owl, who knows what he’s doing in the market, so we are really pleased with the business the club has done. It’s going to be a hard place to replace, but we’ll do it.”

The Imps have been linked to a move for Blackpool full-back Jordan Gabriel, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the upcoming season.

What’s Next in the Transfer Window for Lincoln City?

The Lincoln City head coach was asked if the sale of Lasse Sorensen meant that other key players, such as midfielder Ethan Erhahon, would be more likely to stay with the club.

He replied: “I try and keep hold of all the players that I think bring value to Lincoln. And, all the players that we want to keep, we will try and keep hold off. We tried to keep hold of Lasse until a point where it was the right thing to do for the club.

“We have to accept that we are in League One, there’s bigger clubs with more money. But, the players that we want to keep hold of, we are keeping hold of.”

Interesting Words on Sorensen (and Erhahon) – Opinion:

It was interesting to hear Michael Skubala‘s response when I asked him if selling Lasse Sorensen meant Lincoln City would keep other key players, namely Ethan Erhahon.

In reply, the Imps head coach presented a confident approach to the summer transfer window. It is one that will stand Lincoln in good stead. He did not sound pressured to sell big names, but is instead determined to keep hold of them.

The offer for Sorensen, who would have likely left on a free transfer at the end of next season if he wasn’t sold this summer, was clearly substantial. It is a positive sign that the club is willing to stick to long-term goals, and not sacrifice their strategy for short-term gains.