All of Callum O’Hare’s shocking Coventry City contract revelation is a mystery that is challenging to understand. Though things don’t always go the Sky Blues’ way—Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer are two examples—the club’s management does generally a good job of keeping players on new contracts when and when they can, and most of the time well before there’s a real risk of a deal expiring and losing them on a free transfer.

A torn hamstring on the eve of the Clarets’ opening day trip to Sunderland in late July effectively derailed the team’s plans to make a move with one month remaining in the transfer window. O’Hare was being actively pursued by Burnley the summer before last, with the club firmly in the driver’s seat and strongly linked with designs on the attacking midfielder. When the 25-year-old sustained an ACL rupture on Boxing Day last year, any persistent rumors were immediately put on hold.

The lack of attention paid to his contract situation during his ten-month absence points to two possible reasons: either the club was being cautious, maybe a little apprehensive about O’Hare’s ability to recover from such a serious injury, or they just didn’t think it was a top priority at the time.

Doug King stated two months ago, following the player’s October comeback to fitness: “We really rate him and we know where he is in his contract situation. We’ve opened discussions and we’ll see how that all unfolds.”

Oddly, O’Hare seemed to downplay the issue when questioned about it at the time, stating: “Listen, I’m injured and all I want to do is focus on getting back fit and playing and then when I am back fit then we can start talking properly.”

But when asked when he would sign to cheer on the fans following his game-winning performance on Friday night, the player replied, “I can’t say anything because nothing has been put to me.” Anything that hasn’t been placed in front of me cannot be signed by me.

“Obviously I love it here but unless something is put to me I can’t do anything about it,” he said when asked if he was eager to stay.

It raises the question, where in the world is the club performing? With more goals that were previously difficult to come by, he has undoubtedly proven that he is still every bit the player he was after his outstanding performance against the Blues.

Time is running short, and in just a few weeks, at most, the player will be free to begin discussing his future with other teams. Mark Robins thinks highly of him for his contributions on the field as well as his contagious and exuberant personality, which he feels uplifts everyone around him.

The biggest risk the team currently has is that O’Hare would start to feel unwanted and unloved and consider leaving to play somewhere else. Surely, enough time has gone for O’Hare to have proven that his knee is strong enough not to give out or go again. If his contract expires in the summer, he will undoubtedly have plenty of offers.

O’Hare-like players are uncommon. Why else would he have been the most fouled player in the Championship in 2021–2022? He possesses that rare combination of star power and magic that can alter a match or produce a certain outcome. So please, Doug, stop dragging your feet and get a contract on the table. Delaying any longer would only lead to disappointment.

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