Lincoln City have completed the permanent signing of Liam Bridcutt following the expiry of his contract at Nottingham Forest.

The experienced 31-year-old midfielder becomes the Imps fifth signing of the summer, following James Jones, Conor McGrandles, Lewis Montsma and Ethan Ross into the LNER Stadium.

The midfielder started his career with Chelsea before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion where he made over 130 league appearances in four years. During this period, he also won back-to-back Player of the Season Awards with the Seagulls and made his debut on the international stage for Scotland against Serbia in a World Cup qualifier. After impressing on the South Coast, Liam then made the move to the Premier League joining Sunderland in January of 2014.

Following his stint with the Black Cats, he joined Leeds United, initially on loan which was eventually made permanent in the summer of 2016. It was during his time at Leeds that Liam added another international cap to his to his tally, featuring against Denmark. He then signed for Nottingham Forest in August 2017 before loan spells at Bolton Wanderers and with The Imps, for whom he made five appearances last season, scoring once.

He spoke of his delight in re-joining the club, “For me, it was an easy decision. I have been here previously and know the club well. I also have a great relationship with the manager and the players.”

“Financially, there were far bigger offers elsewhere, but for me it was the drive of the club and their ambition going forward which persuaded me to join. I was given a massive opportunity to be a big part of that and I am relishing the challenge.”

“One of the main reasons I signed was because of the manager, the responsibilities he’s given me and the role going forward.”

“It’s very rare to find such a good relationship between player and manager, and player and club. I could have signed elsewhere for financial reasons and not be happy. For me it is about being happy, if I am, I’ll get the best out of myself.”

Michael Appleton was really pleased to sign Liam Bridcutt and added, “This is a fantastic signing for everyone concerned with Lincoln City FC. Not only is he a very good footballer and leader on the pitch, he is an outstanding character off it. I’m thrilled to get the deal over the line and look forward to welcoming him back to the group.”

Our View

This is a great signing for the Imps, Bridcutt had an impressive loan spell last season and his arrival adds experience to a very young squad. He captained the side in his final appearance for the club and is likely to get the same role as a permanent capture. 

It’s been an interesting few days to be a Lincoln fan, with Jack Payne and Ben Coker both leaving in the past 24 hours, but Michael Appleton has moved quickly to ensure fans have a good weekend with a marquee capture to celebrate.