This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Coventry City have had an incredible season so far, with Frank Lampard’s side top of the table and on course for the Premier League.
Of course, there is a lot of football to be played, so nobody connected to the Sky Blues will be getting carried away.
However, not only are they leading the way in the Championship, but Coventry are also playing some superb stuff, and their combination of attacking flair and defensive solidity means they are looking like a complete team at this level.
Coventry City manager Frank Lampard
Coventry City urged to target Premier League players in January
So, you could argue that Coventry won’t need to address much in the January window, particularly as they have played a chunk of this season without the influential Jack Rudoni, who continues to recover from a calf problem.
Yet, you can be sure that Lampard and the recruitment team will have players in mind when it comes to strengthening the squad, and Coventry’s position in the table means they should be a very attractive option.
With that in mind, FLW asked Coventry fan pundit Chris which Premier League players the Sky Blues should realistically target, and he explained how the club must address their lack of depth in the New Year, with players from West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Everton namechecked as potential additions.
“I’ve been very vocal about our thin squad, about our lack of squad depth, especially in key positions.
“We’ve coped very well whilst Jack Rudoni has been injured. He’s been missing for quite a lot of this incredible run we’ve been on, but the players who have stepped up in his absence, like Victor Torp and Brandon Thomas-Asante, if these players get injured, we’d be up a certain creek without a paddle.
“I think defensively we’re okay. We’ve got a couple of players who can play left-back and right-back. Luke Woolfenden hasn’t looked great so far, but he has barely played, so we’ve got to give him more time and I’m sure he will be a competent backup.
“Doug King has gone on record saying he doesn’t like getting players on loan, and I sort of see where he is coming from as he doesn’t want us developing players for them to go back to their club.
“We had to do it with Carl Rushworth because of Oliver Dovin’s long-term injury, but I really hope that King realises how beneficial a couple of loans would be for us.
“Realistically, I’d look at a team like Forest. I know they’re not in a good position right now, but they’ve got a massive squad, and I’d be looking at Taiwo Awoniyi as backup for Haji Wright. Ellis Simms has done alright recently, but he just isn’t competent enough as a backup.
Taiwo Awoniyi for Nottingham Forest
“For midfield, I would go for West Ham’s Andrew Irving. Neither of them have featured much this season, and Dwight McNeil from Everton would be another one. He would be good cover for any injuries in midfield. He has done alright over the past few years but he has barely had a look-in this season.
“I think any of those three are fairly realistic. It depends on how much their wages we would need to cover as we tend to pay a maximum of around £30,000. They’re obviously on Premier League wages, but I can’t imagine they’re on more than £50,000 a week, and I’d like to think King would be able to stump up 75% of that.”
Coventry City must take advantage of their position in the January window
Obviously, things can change very quickly, but with Coventry seven points clear of third place, and with the performances they’ve been putting in, it would be a huge surprise if they weren’t in the automatic promotion places come January.
Therefore, they are going to appeal to players as there is a good chance that whoever joins the club will be playing Premier League football in six months, so they need to capitalise on that to beef up the group for the run-in.
Frank Lampard of Coventry City vs Sheffield United
Pleasingly, Lampard isn’t in a situation where he needs to make drastic changes to the squad, and he will know that there is a risk that several additions could ruin the spirit of the squad.
So, it’s about striking the right balance, but most fans would agree that the likes of Irving, and especially Awoniyi and McNeil would be brilliant additions to the squad, even if they may be costly in terms of wages.
The immediate focus is on maintaining their great form, and it will be intriguing to see who they will bring in when the window opens.