George Wickens is excited to head into the upcoming Sky Bet Championship campaign as City's No.1 goalkeeper after signing a new contract with the Imps.
The goalkeeper, who is now contracted to the club until the summer of 2029, with a club option for a further 12 months, believes there is even more to come as the club prepares for life in the second tier.
Wickens has enjoyed a remarkable journey with the Imps over the past two seasons - making 86 senior appearances in all competitions - and says extending his stay was an easy decision thanks to the progress being made on and off the pitch.
He said: “There are so many positives around the club and city at the minute, and I’m proud to have been part of it. After what we achieved last season, I’m excited for what’s to come and the challenge we’ll face in the Championship.
“It’s important to have that security, but I also think it’s quite rare in football to feel as settled as I do. I don’t take that for granted. I feel really settled around the place with the lads, and my partner and I have got a nice home here as well. It’s something I’m really grateful for and I’m looking forward to next season.”
The 24-year-old will now head into the 2026/27 with City and is relishing the opportunity to test himself in the second tier.
He added: “We’ve been on a really good journey over the last two years, and obviously what we achieved last season was special. I feel like we can do something special again this year, so it’s exciting.
“We’ve got a really good mix of players and staff, and we’re all one close-knit group. That really showed during the training camp in Spain. We’ve had a great time together and it’s something you don’t take for granted - how strong the relationships are between everyone.
“I’ve got a really good relationship with our goalkeeping coach David Preece, not just on the pitch but off it as well. We’ve built a strong relationship, and I know I can go to him about anything. I’m looking forward to working with him again this season and continuing to build on that.”
Sporting director Jez George added: “George’s development over the past 12 months has been incredible and fully justifies the investment we made to buy him from Fulham after selling Lukas Jensen to Millwall two summers ago. Having joined us with so few games behind him at senior level, we knew that George would need our backing and support for the inevitable ‘bumps in the road’ and last season repaid our faith in him many times over.
