There is key business to resolve in the summer, particularly Callum O’Hare’s future, and the Sky Blues will likely look to add new faces to assist with their bid for a play-off spot this time around.
A wealth of young talent exists in the Premier League and many are searching for first-team minutes to build experience, a fact which Coventry could use to their advantage in the upcoming window.
Here, FLW looks at three candidates the Sky Blues could look at from the top tier to bolster their squad ahead of 2024/25…
The young Chelsea defender has been at Cobham from the U11 age category and has just broken into the senior team this season, but minutes are still sparse.
Competition is fierce at the west London club and, based on previous transfer windows, a new high-value player could turn up in any position at Stamford Bridge at any moment.
Alfie Gilchrist is most likely to find consistent minutes away from his parent club, and a season-long loan at the CBS Arena could be a good place to start.
He can play as part of a back three, as Mark Robins adopted against Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, or as a centre-back in a more traditional back four, played predominately by Robins in the league. With the return of loanee Luis Binks to parent club Bologna, there is a space to be filled in the Sky Blues’ backline.
Added to that, the majority of his first-team minutes with Chelsea have come at right-back. This adaptability is always useful for a squad but may be brought into sharper focus if there are movements in that position at Coventry. It is no secret that current right-back Milan van Ewijk has had an incredible season, and Gilchrist could prove to be a solid temporary replacement should the Dutchman depart.
Gilchrist now has enough experience at Stamford Bridge to deal with an expectant CBS Arena and the fact that he has broken into the Chelsea first team despite strong investment speaks volumes. A loan agreement for the 20-year-old could be beneficial for all involved.
The announcement that club captain Liam Kelly will leave the club on the expiry of his contract this summer will have come as little surprise because the former key man appeared just 16 times in the Championship this season.
Although that’s less than a former regular would like to appear, there is still a role to be played there, and the gap left by Kelly will need to be filled.
One budding Premier League youngster who could be capable of the task is Tim Iroegbunam.
The 20-year-old spent the 2022/23 season on loan with a struggling Queens Park Rangers side, making 32 appearances during that time and impressing enough to warrant the Hoops exploring the possibility of bringing him back towards the end of 2023, according to journalist Darren Witcoop.
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