Coventry City have landed a significant transfer coup in the form of Kaine Kesler-Hayden – but it may inevitably lead to the exit of current right-back star Milan van Ewijk.
Kesler-Hayden has joined the Sky Blues on a permanent basis from Aston Villa, with The Athletic reporting a fee of £5 million after earlier reports said a smaller value of £3.5 million had been negotiated between the two Midlands clubs. Coming off the heels of the Player of the Year-winning season on loan at Preston North End, the 23-year-old’s profile is very good, which has led to a move to a club who, under Frank Lampard, were able to turn their fortunes around in 2024-25 and finish in the Championship’s play-off spots
Coventry City swoop for Kaine Kesler-Hayden will almost certainly lead to Milan van Ewijk exit
Shortly after news of Kesler-Hayden’s agreed transfer to Coventry surfaced, Sky Sports reported on June 30 that Fulham had re-entered the running to capture Coventry’s Dutch right-back Van Ewijk. The Cottagers, who have seen starting right-back Kenny Tete’s contract expire but are currently in talks to replace it, were interested in Van Ewijk in January, according to ESPN Netherlands, but the 24-year-old did not sign with any club.
Speaking exclusively to Football League World, former Premier League midfielder turned Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie believes Kesler-Hayden’s arrival at the CBS Arena will inevitably lead to Van Ewijk’s departure, with no battle between the two for a starting spot under Lampard. “I think Kesler-Hayden will end up going to Cov and Van Ewijk, it’s looking like it’s one of them where he goes,” Hendrie told the Tampa Bay Times. “Kesler-Hayden for £3.5 million? You can’t go wrong. You are not throwing a lot of money at it for that kind of cost; he is also a young player with potential, good quality, and a solid substitute.
Milan van Ewijk v Kaine Kesler-Hayden Stats Comparison – 2024/25 Championship Season
Van Ewijk – Coventry
Kesler-Hayden – PNE
Appearances
45
44
Average Minutes Per Game
89
83
Goals
2
2
Total Shots Per Game
0.6
0.9
Assists
2
3
Expected Assists (xA)
5.80
3.75
Touches Per Game
65.2
50.0
Big Chances Created
12
6
Accurate Crosses Per Game
0.6
0.1
Interceptions Per Game
1.2
0.5
Tackles Per Game
2.0
1.5
Successful Dribbles Per Game
0.6
1.0
Total Duels Won Per Game
4.2
5.8
“I think Van Ewijk has been outstanding for Coventry since he joined, and you can see why he’s attracting interest from Premier League clubs like Fulham. “So, you’d think that now a jigsaw puzzle will fix itself by Van Ewijk leaving and Kesler-Hayden coming in, but I think this will be a good signing for Coventry, I really do.”
Coventry City selling Milan van Ewijk would make perfect business sense – £10 million-plus would be a good deal
Coventry’s interest in Kesler-Hayden, which emerged shortly after their loss from the Championship play-offs at the hands of Sunderland, was always going to result in a Van Ewijk departure, and while no deal has yet been completed, it appears to be just a matter of time. Van Ewijk has given the Sky Blues two very fine seasons of service, and he has proven to be a very successful attack-minded full-back for Cov – but his time in the top division is probably up. Lampard certainly has his succession plan in place with a deal for Kesler-Hayden, and that should in theory allow a smooth transition for the Villa player to become the new first-choice right-back in the England legend’s system.
With two years left on his Coventry deal, Van Ewijk will not be going anywhere for cheap – chairman Doug King must want over £10 million for the Dutchman’s talents, as anything less would undoubtedly be an under-representation of his actual value.
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