Coventry City news and views from CoventryLive as we take a look at the transfer state of play as the Sky Blues summer business goes quiet following encouraging start
Coventry City’s summer recruitment began with the arrival of two new full-backs, but things have remained quiet on the transfer front since.
Last month, Sky Blues signed left-back Miguel Ángel Brau from Granada on a four-year contract after his previous contract expired. This was quickly followed by the signing of Aston Villa right-back Kaine Kesler-Hayden for an undisclosed cost estimated to be between £3.5 million and £5 million.
City’s players returned to pre-season training on July 1 and finished a week-long training camp in Portugal today (Saturday, July 12) with a behind-closed-doors friendly versus a Portuguese team.
Meanwhile, the club’s recruitment department, led by Dean Austin, is working on new deals to enhance the team and provide the extra quality needed to take Lampard’s side to the next level. Last season, the head coach performed miracles, transforming a sluggish start to the first three months into an exhilarating playoff run. The goal now is to go one better.
The majority of agreements are likely to be completed in July and August, when business picks up, but Lampard will be wanting to have as many new signings in place before the 2025/26 season begins against Hull City on August 9 at the CBS Arena.
Off the books but will more follow?
The club has already released short but sweet fan favourite Jamie Paterson, who has joined League One Plymouth Argyle, as well as striker Fabio Tavares, who has signed a permanent deal with Burton Albion and Jack Burroughs, who has moved to Northampton Town. Ryan Howley, meantime, is another released player who has found a new club, signing a two-year deal with League Two Bristol Rovers.
Goalkeeper Cian Tyler is another notable senior development player who has left the club and is still looking for a new home; all of the above have reached the end of their contracts.
It is unclear whether Lampard will attempt to offload any contract players. However, there may be possibility for some wheeling and dealing among select individuals if the opportunity arises for City to receive upgrades in specific spots.
The one name that stands out is Brad Collins, who had another difficult season last season and may be encouraged to find another club to get guaranteed game time, given that the Sky Blues are likely to draft a new goalkeeper to compete with Ben Wilson, and Oliver Dovin is out injured until the New Year at the latest.
Will Lampard have cash to spend?
It’s uncertain how much money Lampard will have available for new acquisitions this summer, but given Doug King’s desire to reach the Premier League, the head coach will be supported in the transfer market.
Explaining what that implies for the Sky Blues, the country’s top football finance expert Kieran Maguire, of Liverpool University, told CoventryLive: “It appears that a new investment of £15 million has been made into the club. It might be from Doug King himself, or it could indicate that he has found a new partial investor. We do not know. However, it may be new money to pay bills over the summer, the transfer kitty, and so on.
Elsewhere, City are still awaiting a large Viktor Gyokeres deal from Sporting Lisbon, which will bring another boost to the transfer coffers thanks to a 10% sell-on clause, which CoventryLive verified this week still exists. Depending on the price paid for the Sweden star, Coventry might get between £3 million and £4 million.
Any big sales in order to strengthen?
The club’s business model includes acquiring promising young players with potential resale value, developing them, and then selling them for a substantial profit, like it did with Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer in the summer of 2023. Money was then reinvested in strengthening the squad over successive transfer windows.
There was no huge sale last summer, but there may be time for one this time. Although Jack Rudoni is now City’s most sellable asset, Lampard will do everything he can to keep the attacking midfielder.
The head coach also values Milan van Ewijk highly, but the ambitious Dutchman has been the target of media curiosity in recent months, and the arrival of Kaine Kesler-Hayden has fuelled talk that the 24-year-old could be considered. Van Ewijk added to that vibe when he switched agencies last week, joining the high-profile CAA Stellar division.
Ben Sheaf, too, has attracted a lot of attention in the past and was considered last summer when he was valued at approximately £10 million by some, with interest coming from Ipswich, Luton, and Fulham.
Any upgrades likely?
There has been much discussion among supporters and analysts about whether the club should cash in and upgrade at the top end of the pitch. Haji Wright and Ellis Simms have already been discussed, while Brandon Thomas-Asante was another player who fluctuated in form last season.
Any prospective Wright and Simms departures would very certainly depend on whether the club could recoup their investment and, more importantly, whether they could find a ready-made prolific scorer to replace them.
In the case of the USA striker, the latter seems doubtful, as the 27-year-old remains a top performer in the Championship despite occasional poor form. Frank Lampard said last week that Wright will ideally be available for the start of the new season, but will miss most of the pre-season games as he recovers.
However, the head coach expressed optimism in the player this week, saying, “We want to get him fit for the start of the season, hopefully, and I think it can be a big year for him.” He has so much promise, and I want to work closely with him to realize his full potential.”
Simms, on the other hand, is a player who can frustrate, with all of the attributes necessary to dominate and terrorize opponents with his power and muscle, but whom Lampard admits he must “poke” at times to get the best out of.
Thomas-Asante, on the other hand, has tremendous speed but struggled with consistency last season.
Elsewhere in the team, there are arguments for strengthening in the heart of defence, which might result in at least one defender being replaced, as at left-back, where Jake Bidwell and Jay Dasilva have fought for the jersey with varied degrees of success over the last two seasons. However, the acquisition of Miguel Angel Brau raises the question of whether one will be surplus to needs this season.
Midfield is another area that could see some turnover if Lampard decides to shake things up. Matt Grimes and Jack Rudoni are players he intends to build the club around, while Victor Torp, who showed significant growth under his tutelage last season, is highly regarded.
Meanwhile, Jamie Allen and Josh Eccles are dependable midfield choices and solid squad players, but one wonders if that’s enough for them at their respective stages of their careers, where they may desire more guaranteed starts.
Lampard, on the other hand, stated this week that he is excited to continue working with Eccles, who is now recovering from a knee injury sustained against Sunderland in the play-offs, and that he believes the Cov Kid still has a lot of room for progress.
“I want him to continue from that Sunderland performance, because I think there’s a lot of uplift in him and I want to work with him, so I’m pleased to have him with us (in Portugal).”
Sheaf is another quality midfielder in City’s squad, and his future could be determined by if he is interested in the summer market.
The biggest threat to City’s summer plans is if Rudoni receives serious interest from a higher-ranked club. Doug King would very certainly have to pay a high cost to entertain such overtures. Given the somewhat exaggerated sum of 32 million Euros (nearly £27 million) for Jobe Bellingham’s transfer from Sunderland to Borussia Dortmund this month, it’s fair to say Coventry are in a good position with Rudoni, who had more goals and assists than the Black Cats’ star player.
Figures like that may spark a conversation, but the club’s plan will almost certainly be to keep their star asset for at least another season, knowing that he will continue to improve under Lampard’s guidance and, hopefully, help the Sky Blues achieve their promotion ambitions next season.
Newcastle United had been mentioned as Rudoni lovers in previous months, and that link resurfaced last week when Craig Hope of the Daily Mail reported: “Newcastle like Jack Rudoni at Coventry. Many scouts I’ve spoken with believe the 24-year-old is the best player outside of the Premier League, and he will be considered as a potential midfield option.
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