We’ve examined three idealistic yet practical Coventry City trades that the team ought to make this summer.
It appears that Coventry City is preparing for a return to the Championship.
The Sky Blues are once again in or near the top six, but unlike the previous season, when they made it to the play-off final, it appears that they were unable to advance further in the playoffs.
Nevertheless, Mark Robins’ team has had another fantastic season. Despite a slow start to the season, they quickly found themselves in the running for the playoffs thanks to their improved play.
The club will be hopeful going into this summer that they can close that gap and, at the very least, make the top six the following season, even though they can also be proud of their FA Cup run.
Last summer, Coventry had a lot of turnover as they lost key players in Gus Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres. The team may lose one or two players, but they will be hoping for a much lower number of departures this time.
However, Robins will undoubtedly be focusing on a few areas where they can improve, so in light of the approaching summer transfer window, we have selected three idealistic but feasible additions that Coventry might make.
Josh Knight
Josh Knight, a defender for Peterborough United, is the first player on this list.
The 26-year-old has been a member of Posh since 2021, when he permanently transferred from Leicester City.
Since joining the team, the defender has been a major asset, helping them both in the Championship and the previous two seasons’ League One play-offs.
Knight’s current contract expires at the end of this season, and considering his League One performance, a team like Coventry City might consider signing him.
This is because, although the team currently has four recognised centre backs, one of them, Luis Binks, is on loan from Bologna, so the Sky Blues may need to bolster that area of the pitch during this summer’s transfer window.
As a result, someone will need to replace him, and Knight might be that someone. He is a very reliable defender who can also play in other areas of the pitch, as he has demonstrated over the course of several seasons.
Knight has scored a lot of goals this season, and if he can assist Peterborough in returning to the Championship, his value may increase even further, drawing interest from Championship teams. Even though he might not be a consistent starter, he could be a valuable member of the squad for a team like Coventry’s.
Chris Willock
The next player on this three-man list is midfielder Chris Willock of Queens Park Rangers. Given his contract situation, most Championship clubs will be keeping an eye on Willock this summer.
With no indication of a new deal being reached, the 26-year-old’s contract with the Rs expires at the end of this season, meaning he won’t be available for anything this summer.
He will therefore probably be a highly sought-after player, and Coventry ought to be a team that is monitoring his circumstances.
Willock has been a welcome addition to QPR since joining the West London team in 2020. He has been instrumental in both creating opportunities and scoring goals.
| Chris Willock’s 2022/23 Championship stats for QPR | |
|---|---|
| Matches played | 28 |
| Minutes per game | 60 |
| Goals | 6 |
| Goal frequency | 279 minutes |
| Shots per game | 1.7 |
| Goal conversion | 13% |
| Assists | 2 |
| Big chances created | 3 |
| Key passes | 1.1 |
| Passing accuracy per game | 17.8 (85%) |
| Successful dribbles | 1.5 (62%) |
| Average rating | 6.87 |
| Stats as per Sofascore.com | |
In terms of statistics, this season hasn’t been his best, but considering how bad QPR’s season has been overall, that shouldn’t come as too of a surprise.
However, Willock demonstrated his abilities once more in the previous campaign, finishing with two assists and six goals in 28 league games.
Willock can play both out wide and in the number 10 role, which may be advantageous to Coventry. Callum O’Hare’s contract is set to expire this summer, so the Sky Blues will need to find a suitable replacement, and Willock might be the best option.
With O’Hare departing, Coventry will need the midfielder, who has a tonne of experience at this level and has demonstrated that he can score goals and be creative in his game.
Macaulay Langstaff
As previously mentioned, Gyokeres left Coventry, so Mark Robins and company had to look elsewhere for a striker.
When Ellis Simms joined Haji Wright last summer, the Sky Blues added two forwards instead of just one.
Being the team’s top goal scorers in their first season, both players have performed incredibly well.
But after that, there’s a significant drop-off, and since Matt Godden, the other forward, hasn’t had much of an impact this season, Robins may need to strengthen his forward line once more.
In that scenario, Macauley Langstaff, a striker for Notts County, might be a very feasible target for Coventry, and his addition would undoubtedly bolster their promotion bid even more.
The 27-year-old has played for the League Two team for the past two seasons, scoring more than 60 goals for them. In his previous three seasons, he scored at least 25 goals for Gateshead and Notts County.
Langstaff is a natural finisher, and although he hasn’t participated in the Championship before, many second-tier teams will undoubtedly take a look at him, and Coventry shouldn’t be one of them.
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