Seven Imps offered fresh deals

Linked with every vacant job from here to Madrid, but will he stay to push City further up the league spectrum?

The identities of the seven to be offered new deals has been kept as a closely guarded secret possibly with the intention of keeping the vultures at bay whilst the players consider their future. However from the list of out of contract players there are certainly seven who would be considered irreplaceable by Imps fans for the next campaign be it in League Two or One.

Perhaps more importantly there has been an indication that the board have entered into discussions with manager Keith Alexander to keep him at Sincil Bank for longer than his current deal which expires at the end of next season. Recently Keith has been linked with every club from Rotherham to Watford and Peterborough to Dukla Prague, but as the jobs become vacant they have also become filled and Keith has so far remained an Imp.

The future of the seven players offered new deals will undoubtedly rest on the decision of Keith to stay at the club. Imps chairman Rob Bradley told local press "The board feels it's a positive move to want to keep Keith and the backbone of a side which has performed so well, at Sincil Bank. We want to enter into talks with Keith now because we feel it is the right time for him, the club and the fans. We will be pursuing those talks over the next two or three weeks - or however long it takes.”

The bulk of recent speculation linked Keith with Peterborough United after somewhat inaccurate reports that Keith and several Imps players were on the verge of moving to join Barry Fry at relegation haunted Peterborough Utd. The speculation seems a little off the mark considering Peterborough’s financial plight as well as the real threat of featuring in the basement division next season. Barry Fry confirmed he’d like to bring both Simon Yeo and Ben Futcher to London Road but also admitted that it was ‘unlikely’.

Bradley also spoke to local press regarding the seven fresh contract offers,

One of the seven offered a new deal?

no doubt a situation Imps fans will be monitoring closely. The Imps have lost Mark Bailey and Stuart Bimson against their will over the past two years and fans feared the same may happen again. However strong words from Bradley may go some way to allaying those fears. "We feel they are good offers, and obviously, we hope we will be playing in a higher division next season, but we wanted to recognise what the players had already achieved for the club. We are aware they have been entitled to talk to other clubs since January and that good clubs are interested in them. However we certainly hope to see them stay.”

Keith was also happy that the board had recognised the players contribution over the past three seasons. "It's very pleasing the club's board of directors recognise we have a group of players who have the potential to go places and wish them to remain at the club. The board have made the offers before we even know what division we'll be playing in next season. That's not something which has happened before, but I'm sure the players will appreciate being able to see things in writing.”

With regards to speculation surrounding his own future Keith was his usual no-nonsense self. "I've heard I've been linked with Rotherham, Watford, Notts County and Peterborough - all of it is news to me. As I keep saying, I'm happy at Lincoln City. I feel as though I've started something and it's something I would like to carry on, so I'm delighted the board want to extend my contract. The club are in a better position than when I first took over and I want that to continue because I feel things can improve further. We're still in a good position in League Two with five games left. There are some very difficult games coming up, but we know what we have to do."

Fans will no doubt be delighted to hear the news that the board have taken steps to ensure that the nucleus of the succesful side have been offered new deals, and will be even more thrilled to hear that Keith Alexander, the leagues brightest young manager is intending to stay and finish the job he started.