A little patience may be required, but Coventry City look to have a strong squad in place to help them push on in the Championship this season. Some players are still finding their feet following summer moves and the group does need time to gel.
But there were some hugely encouraging signs for the Sky Blues at QPR at the weekend, not least the return of Jamie Allen to the starting line-up for the first time this term following a health scare that meant he missed the entire pre-season. The club experienced a huge turnover of players with 14 going out, either sold or coming to a natural conclusion by reaching the end of their contracts.
Eleven players arrived and all have been handed relatively long-term deals, such is the confidence in their quality and ability – a belief reflected in many of the transfer fees City shelled out on them. As such, Mark Robins only has four permanent signings currently in the last 12 months of their contracts, while two loan men take the number to six potentially leaving next June.
The big priority is getting Callum O’Hare tied down on a new deal, although City don’t necessarily need to be making decisions just yet on the rest. But here is our verdict on what could happen with those players whose contracts are due to expire next summer.
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The goalkeeper signed for the Sky Blues in the summer of 2021 and quickly established himself as the club’s No.1, having an impressive first campaign at the club. However, a dramatic dip in form at the start of the 22/23 campaign resulted in Ben Wilson being handed his chance and Moore was understudy for the remainder of the season when Wilson enjoyed the form of his career with a club record 22 clean sheets. The arrival of Brad Collins from Barnsley this summer meant the writing was on the wall for the 33-year-old stopper who was made available for transfer in recent months but, despite interest from other clubs, the player opted to stay put. Whether that situation changes come the January window remains to be seen but, one way or another, he’s almost certain to be leaving the club in the next eight mouth
Stalwart campaigner McFadzean signed for Coventry from Burton Albion in the summer of 2019 and has simply got better and better over his four years to date, so much so that Robins has rewarded him with contract extensions in consecutive summers. He’s the glue that holds the back three together and no-nonsense leader at the heart of the defence who guides and helps develop the younger centre-halves either side of him. He’s a great character on and off the pitch and, although he’ll be 37 in February, is showing no signs of slowing down. City have been a bit shaky at the back of late as Robins attempts to find his best back three but, so far, McFadzean has been a constant fixture and as long as that remains the case he’ll give himself every opportunity of yet another extension. One thing is for sure, his experience continues to be invaluable in helping guide younger defenders either side of him and, looking ahead, there might even be a player/coach role sometime in the future.
The Sky Blues skipper is City’s longest serving player, having joined the club in the summer of 2017 and helping the Sky Blues rise up from the depths of League Two to Championship play-off finalists in May when they were just a couple of penalty kicks away from the Premier League. Although used sparingly last season, the 33-year-old played a significant part in the club’s play-off campaign and led the team out at Wembley Stadium against Luton. He’d clearly done enough to be rewarded with a new 12 month deal but looked set to again play a bit-part as back-up to Josh Eccles and Ben Sheaf until the latter got injured, which opened the door for the captain. The midfield is going through a difficult period of adjustment following the departure of Gustavo Hamer and clearly needs strengthening further in January. That could have a significant bearing on whether Kelly will be offered the opportunity to stay on for an eighth
O’Hare joined the Sky Blues from Aston Villa, initially on loan in August 2019 and was a key part of City’s League One title winning side. After joining Mark Robins’ side permanently on a free transfer from Villa Park in July 2020, he continued to develop into an exciting attacking midfielder with a reputation for being one of the best in the Championship. As such, Mark Robins extended his deal in January 2022 when O’Hare committed himself until the summer of 2024. Fans are currently desperate for he 25-year-old to agree to a new deal to secure his future at the club and avoid leaving on a free transfer in May. Having been unable to convince Viktor Gyokeres and Gus Hamer to sign new long-term deals, City will be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky with O’Hare who has been sorely missed over the last nine months with an ACL injury.
The summer loan signing from Serie A side Bologna had a frustrating start to his Sky Blues spell, having to be patient to get his chance in the Championship. That finally came six games into the new season against Hull and he hasn’t looked back since, starting every game since. Although he’s joined on a season-long loan, Binks, interestingly, hinted recently that he wasn’t against the idea of joining City on a permanent basis if things go well. At 22 he’s a good age with plenty of development in him, and it wouldn’t be the first time City have acted on a loan
another highly-rated prospect from Brighton who joined the Sky Blues on a season-long loan in August. He’s a clearly talented lad and lovely technician on the ball, and a player who has a big future ahead of him. Although still finding his feet at Championship level, the Sweden international has shown enough to suggest he could be an influential player for City this season. Whether the Sky Blues would have any chance of signing him on permanent basis next summer remains to be seen but, certainly, given how highly thought of he is by his parent club it would seem unlikely
