Lincoln City have agreed a deal with midfielder Tom Bayliss, which has seen him extend his contract at the LNER Stadium until the summer of 2028.
The 26-year-old joined the Imps last summer, penning a two year deal following his release from Shrewbury Town. His exit from Salop came as somewhat of a surprise after he helped keep the Shropshire-based side in League One in 2024.
His move to the East Midlands proved to be a worthwhile one. He made 39 appearances in all competitions for Michael Skubala’s team, scoring three times and pitching in with a further four assists. The ex-Coventry City youngster also found the net in a 1-1 draw against former club Shrewsbury in April.
Lincoln Opting For Longevity
Bayliss becomes the second player to commit his future to Lincoln this week following the news that central defender Adam Jackson had signed a new two-year deal yesterday. The 31-year-old is the joint longest serving player at Sincil Bank, with Skubala opting to tie players down to longer deals.
The former Leeds United coach has brought in just two players this summer whilst losing key players Paudie O’Connor, Sean Roughan and Ethan Erhahon. Whilst the latter’s departure wasn’t unexpected, it does leave the Imps short on numbers in the middle of the park and a new midfielder is likely to join before the end of the transfer window.
Bayliss had one year remaining on his existing contract, meaning that there are no concerns about his long term future. Speaking upon the announcement, Skubala revealed his delight:
“Tom has great quality and is a huge part of what we are trying to achieve. He can play in all three central midfield roles, has the ability to score and create goals, as well as his set play deliveries which have been crucial in maximising our attacking threat.
“At 26 years old and in his prime, we still believe there is more to come from Tom, and we are delighted that he has committed potentially his best years of his career to Lincoln City.”
Writer’s View
Having tied down both Jackson and Bayliss to new contracts, it’s clear that Lincoln are trying to build a team capable of competing over the next few years. We’ve seen them do this reasonably often over the past 12 months, with Jovon Makama penning fresh terms in October last year. This sees Lincoln protect their assets which could either see them land a sizeable fee or keep their best players during the peak years of their career. Yet more sensible business from the Imps.
