SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 19: Anthony Musaba of Sheffield Wednesday celebrates after scoring the team's first goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough at Hillsborough on September 19, 2023 in Sheffield, England. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Managing Coventry City – Keeper close, midfield shortcomings striker excitement.
Latest Coventry City news from CoventryLive as we take a detailed look at the summer transfer window and where and how the Sky Blues hope to continue to grow and improve the squad.
Coventry City are in the third week of pre-season with just three more full weeks to come before the start of the new Championship campaign.
Things appear to be shaping up nicely, albeit Sky Blues fans continue to be a bit impatient about when more new signings will arrive through the door. So far Mark Robins has four new faces to work with and we can expect a few more before the end of August when the summer transfer window slams shut for a few months.
To date, City have added two wingers in Raphael Borges Rodrigues and Ephron Mason-Clark, a centre-half in the returning Luis Binks and an attacking midfielder in Jack Rudoni. And, according to several reports from Sweden, a talented young goalkeeper is next.
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Transfers are going to form a major part of the club’s plan for success, with quality additions in key positions very much the priority for Robins and his head of recruitment, Dean Austin. CoventryLive has taken a look at the key priorities for the Sky Blues as they plot their remaining summer deals…
Closing in on keeper
The Sky Blues have been strongly linked in the Swedish press with Hammarby goalkeeper Oliver Dovin. Several outlets have been giving what is almost a daily running commentary on the situation which, if reports are correct, is close to a conclusion.
The 22-year-old sat out Monday’s defeat to IFK Gothenburg with a ‘minor injury’ but the club’s sporting director “cannot rule out” the possibility that the player will be sold by the weekend.
Certainly, if the player with two senior caps for Sweden does join City it will pose fresh questions over the future of Ben Wilson who, understandably, is keen for first team football after his stellar campaign for the Sky Blues in 2022/23 when he established himself as Mark Robins’ number one. The arrival of Brad Collins last summer threatened his place and, in time, the former Chelsea prospect took over, limiting Wilson to just 18 league starts and four in the FA Cup.
It’s unclear at this stage whether Wilson will want to stay and fight for his place but if a new stopper comes in, the likelihood is that the 31-year-old – a hugely popular and bubbly character in the dressing room – will be looking to move on despite having a year left on his current deal.
Clean sheets were hard to come by last season as City kept 12 in total, eight fewer than 2022-23, and the position would appear to be one that requires attention.
Milan van Ewijk was one of the standouts from last summer’s signings but the squad arguably needs another recognised right-back to add competition and back-up. City are reported to be competing with Championship rivals for the signature of RWDM Molenbeek full-back Ilay Camara, but the return of Jack Burroughs might just give Robins food for thought. Although the 23-year-old played much of last season as a left wing-back on loan at Lincoln, his versatility means he can play in several positions, both on the left and right. He was deployed at right-back for a half against Port Vale in last weekend’s 3-0 friendly win.
On the other side of the back four, meanwhile, the general consensus is that there needs to be more from Jay Dasilva, who found himself losing his place to the supremely reliable and ever popular Jake Bidwell. But another marauding full-back would be an ideal addition, which, presumably, would mean someone needing to make way – the most likely of whom would be Bidwell. The mood music, however, appears to be that Bidders is keen to stay and fight for his place again.
Interest in Peterborough’s Harrison Burrows has been quashed by Darragh MacAnthony, with the Posh owner admitting his surprise that City have not come in for his captain, who has been strongly linked with a move to Sheffield United.
Elsewhere, Robins has two right-footed centre-halves (Bobby Thomas and Joel Latibeaudiere) and two lefties with Liam Kitching competing with the returning Binks. But City are still lacking experience in the side, particularly following the departures of Liam Kelly to Rotherham and Matty Godden to Charlton Athletic, following on from Kyle McFadzean’s January switch to Blackburn.
So far City have been linked with interest in Middlesbrough free agent Paddy McNair and Nottingham Forest’s Joe Worrall, albeit all has gone quiet on those two.
