Joe Gauci has joined City on a season-long loan from Aston Villa, subject to the relevant Premier League and EFL approval.
The goalkeeper arrives at the Imps after spending last season on loan at Port Vale, where he was one of the standout performers despite the Valiants’ relegation from Sky Bet League One. He kept 11 clean sheets in 34 league appearances and conceded just 40 goals, earning widespread praise for a series of impressive displays between the posts.
The 26-year-old was signed by Aston Villa in January 2024 after establishing himself as one of the A-League’s leading goalkeepers with Adelaide United. His performances in Australia also saw him break into the Socceroos squad - he has represented his country at senior international level eight times and was part of a training camp prior to this summer's World Cup.
Now he links up with Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw’s squad ahead of the 2026/27 Sky Bet Championship campaign, adding further quality and competition to City’s goalkeeping department alongside Jamie Pardington.
Goalkeeping coach David Preece said: “Joe has a lot of the qualities that we want in a goalkeeper, but most importantly he is ambitious, driven and comes knowing that George is our No.1, but with the aim and desire to compete with him for a place in the team. I have followed him since his days at Adelaide United, the club has tracked him since he joined Aston Villa and Joe will add brilliant depth to our goalkeeping department.”
Sporting director Jez George added: “This is another signing that completes our recruitment work for a unit of the team. Joe comes in as our No.2 goalkeeper, but what attracted us to him, as well as his undoubted ability and attributes, is his mentality and desire to back himself to compete with George, who he knows starts the season as our No.1 goalkeeper.
“With Jamie, we now have real depth in our goalkeeping department. We are aiming for two players who believe they should start in every position across the squad, so this is no different. Therefore, we have used a loan to create genuine competition for George rather than a goalkeeper who is a ‘specialist No.2’ in the Championship. It also gives us complete flexibility next summer, based on numerous factors including Zach Jeacock’s progress, which is why a one-year solution made total sense.”