Michael Skubala may still be in the running for the Bristol City job, but comments from Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola suggest the Robins already believe one of their candidates is ready to step into management.
The Lincoln City head coach is still believed to be in the final two for the role at Ashton Gate alongside Bournemouth assistant Tommy Elphick, with reports over the weekend suggesting Skubala could be poised to stay with the Imps.
While most Lincoln supporters will naturally focus on Skubala’s position in the process, the more interesting development over the last 24 hours has arguably been the strength of the praise aimed towards Elphick by Iraola himself.
Speaking to the Bournemouth Echo, the Cherries boss left little doubt about how highly he rates his assistant.
“Tommy Elphick is more than ready to be a manager, I have no doubts.
“He has been very good for me. I was very lucky when I arrived here because we had the problem with Iñigo with the work permit.
“With Tommy and Shaun, I felt very well assisted always. I could decide because the club gave me the opportunity to take someone else apart from Iñigo, and I decided we didn’t need it because they were very good and they’ve been very good for me.
“And if Tommy decides to go and start managing, for me, he is more than ready.”
It is not difficult to see why Bristol City would be attracted to that profile.
Elphick has spent the season working under one of the Premier League’s most highly-regarded coaches, helping Bournemouth push towards Europe while building a reputation of his own behind the scenes. Iraola’s comments do not feel like polite support for a member of staff either; they feel like an endorsement.
That is where the Lincoln angle becomes relevant. With Bristol City seriously weighing up Elphick against Skubala, it gives a pretty clear indication of the sort of level they believe our head coach is operating at right now. One candidate is earning rave reviews inside a Premier League coaching setup, the other has just overseen one of the greatest seasons in Lincoln City’s history.
Whatever happens this week, the saga has proven that Michael is a highly rated coach. We know he is backed by a great team, which only proves Lincoln City is a great place for staff to develop and grow their career, on and off the field.