According to the Blackpool Gazette, Danny Mandroiu is reportedly close to a move to the Imps’ promotion rivals, Blackpool.
Mandroiu has been without a club since leaving the Imps over the summer, walking away from a new contract offer in the search of improved terms. Talk of his final destination has been very quiet, with this the first solid rumour to be published by a proper news outlet.
Mandroiu joined the Imps from Shamrock Rovers for a nominal fee, but issues hit his City career. He arrived injured, didn’t make his debut until October 2022, and then missed November with a knock. The Imps season ended well, but after three goals in his first three games, he managed just four from his final 23 outings.
Hopes were high the following season, and he got off to a blistering start, helping us to demolish Blackpool 3-0 at the Bank. As autumn set in, so did concerns around the midfielder. His refusal to clap fans after coming off against Shrewsbury angered some (not me), and questions about his attitude surfaced.
Those rumours felt unfair until Burton at home, when he was sent off for a silly lunge. That prompted head coach Mark Kennedy to blast the player publicly, something that cost the former Liverpool man his job. Three goals in six matches for Michael Skubala seemed to hint at Mandroiu getting back on form before another red card for another lunge against Bolton, costing us a vital point.
He finished the season with eight goals, five of which were penalties, and despite being offered fresh terms, he sought a better deal elsewhere, as did Ted Bishop. With just a few days to go until the big kick-off, neither Mandroiu nor Bishop have a club, while Tom Bayliss and JJ McKiernan have come in to replace them at the Bank.
The story seems to have originated from a Twitter account that looks more reliable than some, and the move certainly makes sense. I always got the feeling Danny wanted to be closer to Ireland, able to hop across on a ferry or a quick flight home to be with his family and girlfriend, something being in Lincoln made difficult.
It’s odd because, as Chris said on the podcast recently, if we’d been told he’d signed for QPR based on his talent, you’d think that was a suitable move. If he’d signed for Fleetwood in League Two, you’d have understood that as well. He’s a talented boy on his day, able to unlock defences and often thinking several moves ahead, like a pool player.
The question is, is he good enough, often enough, for the rumoured £5,000 a week he will command?
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