Former Lincoln City winger Josh Ginnelly has completed a January move into overseas football, signing for Azerbaijani top flight side Turan Tovuz after leaving Swansea City earlier this season.
Ginnelly joins Boz Qurd as a free agent, having agreed an 18-month contract, with the move taking him more than 2,300 miles away from Sincil Bank. The Azerbaijan Premier League club confirmed the deal this week, adding the 28-year-old to their squad as they look to strengthen in the second half of the campaign.
Ginnelly is a familiar name from a pivotal period in the club’s recent history. He arrived during the 2016-17 season and played his part in the Imps’ National League title-winning side, contributing pace, direct running and important moments during the latter stages of the campaign.
His time with us was not without contrast. While that first season delivered success and momentum, the following campaign he joined again, and that proved more difficult. His early departure felt sensible, and few expected him to go on and do well.
Instead, he had a varied and interesting career. He rebuilt his reputation with Tranmere Rovers and Walsall, performances that earned him a move to Preston North End. It was in Scotland, however, where he enjoyed the most productive spell of his career. Joining Heart of Midlothian, he became a key figure over three seasons, scoring regularly and helping Hearts re-establish themselves in the Premiership after promotion. He even played in Europe, and often drew jokes from Imps fans about having a great agent.
That form led to a move back south with Swansea City in 2023, but his time in South Wales was heavily disrupted by injury. A ruptured Achilles limited his involvement and, despite flashes of quality, he was restricted to a small number of appearances before leaving the club by mutual consent in September 2025.
Now, his career takes a new and unexpected direction. Turan Tovuz compete in the Azerbaijan Premier League and will offer Ginnelly regular top-flight football in a very different environment. For a player whose game has always been built around speed and directness, the opportunity to reset in a new league may prove appealing after a frustrating period on the sidelines.
There are stories you expect to write, Montsma and Shrewsbury for instance, but every so often, one comes along that really does give you a bit of a shock. That is absolutely what this one has done. Josh Ginnelly getting a new club? Sure. Signing a deal with a club from Azerbaijan, however, I did not have on my transfer window bingo card.