Coventry City have returned to the top of the table for the first time in 34 years as manager Frank Lampard guided the Sky Blues to the promised land. During that time the club was experiencing turmoil, and at one point there were fears that Coventry might go out of business altogether.
Instead, the focus will switch to avoiding an immediate return to the Championship, and they can look forward to facing the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City next season. A busy summer transfer window will be expected to achieve that, but Express Sport highlighted the signing of five players that Lampard could sign to give him the best chance of survival.
It will start with a bit of a tap-in, given that Frank Onyeka is almost certain to become a permanent signing for Coventry this summer. The midfielder, who joined the club on loan from Brentford in January, played heavily in the second half of the season and was instrumental in Coventry’s victory. As part of his loan deal with Brentford, the West Midlands plan to make the deal permanent following promotion.
It would be surprising if Lampard did not use his Chelsea links to strengthen his squad this summer. Marc Giu could be the perfect option, given that Chelsea have already indicated their intention to loan the striker to the newly promoted side. Indeed, the Blues canceled his loan move to Sunderland just days after it was announced last summer, but the youngster hasn’t played enough this season.
Coventry is by no means operating on a deep budget, which means we have to be creative in our markets. A free transfer could be their best friend and with Kieran Trippier announcing his departure from Newcastle, they could do far worse than offering the experienced right-back a short-term deal.
Speaking of which, Michael Keane is a player Lampard is already familiar with from his time as manager of Everton. The defender’s current contract with the Toffees expires this summer and so far there are few signs of an extension. He will be in Coventry’s starting XI and is exactly the kind of player they need to keep.
And then there’s the relegation/promotion trade-off that usually happens at the end of every season. There are several candidates Coventry could sign, but Jelson Mosquera is the player they would like to poach from Wolves. There’s nothing that prevents Mosquera from becoming an established player in the Premier League if he can cut out those frustrating moments for centre-backs.
