Managing Coventry: Growing debate and adding targets as old guard prepare to move on

The summer transfer window is wide open and it is hoped that Coventry City’s recruitment plans will begin to take shape in the coming weeks between now and the end of August.

The Sky Blues are expected to be quite busy as Mark Robins looks to add numbers and strengthen his squad after narrowly missing out on the play-offs last time out as he looks to build a more robust squad capable of stepping up and make a sustained match. boost for promotion in the upcoming campaign.

City will be able to register players from now until the window closes at 11pm on Friday 30 August and have already got one over the line with the arrival of 20-year-old winger Raphael Borges Rodrigues from Australian side Macarthur FC. for an undisclosed fee. Robins, of course, also has his colleague Ephron Mason-Clark in the building after his deal was agreed with Peterborough United in the January window.

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Transfers will form an important part of the club’s plan for success, with quality additions in key positions the priority for Robins and his head of recruitment, Dean Austin. With players under contract until June 30, traditionally, business starts to get interesting around the middle of the month when players start making decisions about their futures.

Meanwhile, the big question that needs to be answered is just how much money will Robins have at his disposal this summer? This time last year, you’ll recall, the Sky Blues didn’t get their spending going until they secured the sale of Viktor Gyokeres to Sporting Lisbon for just over £20m. If the Sweden international moves on again, City will gain another significant boost of cash from the sell-on clause but cannot be relied upon.

There will be decent funds from season ticket sales, which have already surpassed last year’s total of 19,500, with over 20,000 now sold ahead of Wednesday’s Early Bird deadline. Sky TV’s latest deal will also help alongside the money made from the FA Cup race, which will be more than £1m (£450,000 for the quarter-final winners and £500,000 for the losers semi-finals in addition to prize money for the third, fourth and fifth rounds).

Owner Doug King insists the club, like all Championship sides, is a loss-making operation, with average losses for second-tier clubs at £10-15m a year, and as such the Sky Blues face a “massive challenge”. However, while he maintains that the club will continue to operate in a sustainable manner, he remains extremely ambitious and wants promotion.

Here, CoventryLive takes a look at the key priorities for the Sky Blues as they plot their summer deals ahead of what is hoped to be an exciting season of progress at the top end of the Championship.

Fresh competition in goal

It seems pretty clear that Ben Wilson needs and almost certainly wants first-team football after his stellar campaign for the Sky Blues in 2022/23, when he established himself as Mark Robins’ number one. The arrival of Brad Collins last summer threatened his place and in time the former Chelsea prospect took over, limiting him to just 18 league starts and four in the FA Cup.

It is therefore likely that the 31-year-old – a hugely popular and fractious character in the dressing room – will look to move on despite having a year left on his current contract. Although Robins has always maintained that he has two very good goalkeepers competing for the shirt, rather than a first choice and an understudy, the manager is likely to use the current situation as an opportunity to pick another goalkeeper.

Clean sheets were hard to come by last season as City kept 12 in total, eight fewer than in 2022-23, and the position would appear to be one that needs attention.

Rear growth

Milan van Ewijk has been one of the standouts since last summer’s signings, but the team needs another recognized right-back to add competition and support. On the other side of the back four, meanwhile, the general consensus is that more needs to come from Jay Dasilva, who found himself losing his place to the reliable and ever-popular winger Jake Bidwell. But another marauding full-back would be an ideal addition, which would mean someone would have to make way – most likely Bidwell. Peterborough’s talented young captain Harrison Burrows is a name that keeps popping up.

The return of Luis Binks to Bologna, meanwhile, leaves City one spot short at centre-back, with the Robins needing at least four centre-backs to compete for the two available spots. Robins said he likes Binks and will keep an eye on his situation this summer, but a fee and significant wages could stand in City’s way.

Replacing Callum O’Hare

Although the Robins joked with the popular attacking midfielder on the final day of the season that he was not giving up on him, it seems inevitable that O’Hare is on his way. Most fans are resigned to the prospect of the 26-year-old leaving as a free agent after five years on the job following his initial loan and then free transfer from Aston Villa.

The manager has Kasey Palmer, of course, who stepped into the number ten role, often ahead of O’Hare, towards the end of the season, but he will want two players to compete for that position. As such, City will already be eyeing an alternative playmaker. Huddersfield Town’s Jack Rudoni looks set to fit, although a £10m price tag is said to have ‘put off’ the Sky Blues, who are said to have shifted their focus elsewhere.

City have also been linked with Preston’s Alan Browne, who, while not necessarily a player of technical flair, has predominantly played as a ten for the North End, and the 29-year-old is available on a free, assuming he chooses refuse a decent one. contract offer from the Lilywhites. Such a deal seems more likely at this stage of the proceedings, with O’Hare’s salary freed up for any replacements to come.

Gus replacement is still needed

Much has been made of the fact that City never replaced Gustavo Hamer last season. Although Victor Torp was recruited during the January window, he does not have the same style of player and a deep playmaker would still appear to be very much on the Robins’ watchlist.

The club have been heavily linked with Scotland Under-21 international Connor Barron, who is out of contract this summer.

The 21-year-old Aberdeen midfielder has been offered a new contract but interest is growing, with the Sky Blues and Swansea reported to be ‘keen’, according to our sister title the Daily Record. Bologna, the report claims, have also joined the growing list of Italian clubs weighing up a summer move for the player, who is said to be available to sign for just over £500,000 in training compensation . Barron’s is said to already have pre-contracts on the table.

Ben Sheaf, stick or twist?

For Mark Robins and most Sky Blues fans, Ben Sheaf is one of the club’s most influential players. The manager is expected to name the 26-year-old midfielder as the club’s new captain following the departure of Liam Kelly. However, as with Gyokeres and Hamer before him, the former Arsenal graduate has attracted interest from a number of clubs, including Premier League Fulham and Crystal Palace, as well as relegated Luton Town, who will be looking to make a direct return. up.

As one of City’s most sold assets, we wonder if the club would be tempted to cash in at the right price to use the funds to continue to add to an evolving squad. It may all depend, of course, on Sheaf’s personal ambitions. In an ideal world, he would be offered and sign a new long-term contract and fulfill those with Coventry, helping the club to promotion. But a less patient player may well be keen to move sooner if the right club comes calling, at which point the Sky Blues’ hand will likely be forced.

As mentioned earlier, King is unlikely to dish out millions here and there this summer unless the club receives a windfall from the sale of Gyokeres. Recruitment is more likely to be done cautiously.

More attention to midfield

Liam Kelly’s departure leaves a vacancy in the squad and while the Robins have spoken of looking forward to having Jamie Allen at full strength next season following a campaign riddled with illness and injury, it remains to be seen whether 29 – years will be content not to be guaranteed a regular start. The high-energy and versatile player is, however, the perfect team player who can fill a range of roles. He is still contracted to the club for another year, but if there is any interest in him, he may be tempted to push for a move. Either way, the Robins will want to add at least one new central midfielder.

City continue to be linked with Red Star Belgrade midfielder Marko Stamenic, 22, with claims a £4.26m deal has already been agreed, although the Sky Blues continue to neither confirm nor deny the reports coming from the Serbian press.

Adding goals as the old guard prepares to move on

With 19 each in their first season with the club, Ellis Simms and Haji Wright will once again be the men tasked with getting the bulk of the goals. Their dominance during the second half of the season saw Matty Godden generally decline and look unhappy with his lack of game time. As such, the 32-year-old may be thinking it’s time to move on. He has already been heavily linked with interest from League One side Charlton Athletic and a move would free up wages for City to bring in a younger goalscorer and someone a little different to the two big men.

How much buying power do you think Mark Robins will have this summer? Tell us what you think in the comments section HERE.