Frank Onyeka played an invaluable part in helping Coventry City achieve their promotion ambitions when he arrived at the club last January.
Joining on a half season loan from Brentford with an obligation to sign permanently, the 28-year-old has now completed the formalities and is ready to continue his journey with the Sky Blues.
Being one of the few current players in the squad with Premier League experience, the Nigeria international is again expected to play a pivotal role as Frank Lampard’s lads step up to the big time.
Here, Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner caught up with the quietly spoken midfield general, nicknamed The Tank, for an in-depth Q&A to see how he’s feeling ahead of the new season.
How did you spend the summer?
“I’ve been with my family. I was away to Switzerland on holiday and then I went back home to Nigeria to visit family, my siblings. Obviously I went to national team and played two games against Poland and Portugal and then went away with my family and then to Nigeria and then back to the UK.
“My wife chose Switzerland which was interesting, not a typical sort of beach holiday but in the mountains and it was nice to see something different.
“It was nice to see my family and also friends because it’s such a long season and you don’t get the chance to catch up with people, so you actually need to use the time that you get for other things.”
Frank Onyeka in pre-season action against AFC Wimbledon in Spain
How do you feel about becoming a permanent Coventry City player?
“It’s really nice. From the first day I came in I felt the beauty of the people and the club. I just felt, this is for me, I’m in the right place to be. All the boys, the people around the building made me feel really comfortable and I settled in quickly which is really nice for every player that goes into a new team.
“I felt really, really happy and now I’ve been here on the last five or six months and feel really comfortable.
“The love I got from the fans from the first day was really lovely to see how the took me in, how they loved me, and I really appreciate that.”
How do you reflect on the first few months at the club in terms of your own personal form and the success achieved?
“It’s nice because I came here for two goals, which is to get promoted to the Premier League and win the Championship. So the goal that I had coming here was achieved and it’s a beautiful thing to be part of the success. I’m really happy to be part of Coventry ’s history, part of a huge club.
“Another reason for coming here was to play every game; coming in and getting into the team was something that I really looked forward to along with playing a lot of minutes with the form and experience I had to bring into the team.”
Your experience is going to be invaluable with the club stepping up to the Premier League. You have played there and know the division, so what are the main differences compared to the Championship?
“You know, playing in the Championship we were in control of the games but in the Premier League its the quality that is just too much and every mistake will get punished.
“So playing against these big teams, you have to be careful because there is a step up in fitness, physicality and technical ability and it can be difficult to match the intensity compared to the Championship because in the Championship we had the ball. In the Premier League that will probably change and therefore we need to change, we need to defend, we need to sprint, we need to run back and we need to attack.
“You have to concentrate for the full 90 minutes because towards the end of games if people are getting tired that quality comes into play and they can do something out of nothing. So the intensity and fitness levels need to be carried on to the last minutes otherwise teams can punish you any time.”
Frank Onyeka celebrating Coventry City's promotion
Frank Onyeka has made a big impression at Coventry City(Image: Getty Images)
How is your pre-season going and have you done a pre pre-season working with a personal trainer to get fit before you reported back?
“Yes, but it’s quite a little bit different because mainly I try to focus on my own, try to focus on my muscles. You can keep in shape and run but it’s also important to strengthen your muscles as well. That’s what I focus on in the off season and when I come to the pre-season, that’s when I really get in shape with the running and all of that. But it’s important to get a balance between getting enough rest after a long season and keeping in shape.”
Frank Onyeka and Jack Rudoni at Coventry City's training camp in Spain
Frank Onyeka and Jack Rudoni at Coventry City's training camp in Spain
Do you have any pre-match rituals, routines or superstitions?
“Yeah, I eat pasta bolognese as my meal before game but I don’t really have any superstitions other than I do my prep at the same times.”
Who are your besties at the club, who you hang out with and who do you room with on away trips?
“You know I feel comfortable with everyone. The boys are very lovely and make you feel comfortable and this is something that you don’t usually see in teams. But here we are all together and we laugh and do everything together. And that’s a strength of this squad.”
He added: “As for who I room with, it’s usually Rudy or Ephron.”
I guess it’s important to keep that togetherness when new players, inevitably, come in this summer, and will you, as one of the more senior players, go out of your way to make new signings feel welcome?
“Yeah, I’ll help new boys because that’s what the group did for me when I came in, so I need to do it for all the new boys that are coming in to make sure that they feel comfortable.”
Looking back at your time in the Premier League, who are the most difficult opponents you faced and the best players you played against?
“I’d have to say Man City, Arsenal, Brighton, Liverpool... Those are the teams that you know will have the ball a lot and so you need to run and you need to defend. Those are the teams that are really getting close to you so you need to be compact and you need to be focussed.
“In terms of individuals, the likes of De Bruyne, Odegaard and Foden because what they do is they are so clever playing behind you so you can’t really see where they are, so I would say those are a few players that you know it’s quite difficult to get to.”
It’s obviously going to be quite tactical next season and Coventry are going to be seen as the underdogs virtually every week, so how can you plot victories – is it a case of attention to detail and concentration throughout the 90 minutes?
“Yeah, you have to be focussed throughout because, again, you can get punish at any time. So we need to be tactically strong and we need to defend well and make sure we take our chances from set-pieces and counter attacks. This has to be one of our strengths.”
How’s Loum Tchaouna looked in training?
“He looks good and I think he’s settled in quite well. The boys have helped him and tried to speak to him a lot and make him feel comfortable. And he’s a nice character as well.”
New Coventry City signing Loum Tchaouna who has signed from Burnley
New Coventry City signing Loum Tchaouna who has signed from Burnley
Are you and the lads expecting and excited to see a few more new signings?
“Oh yeah but that’s up to the guys at the top of the club, so I don’t know anything about that.”
How big a deal was it for you personally and the lads that Frank Lampard signed his new contract?
“It was nice because I’d heard some rumours that he was maybe gonna leave and that was like, oh! But it’s great because he’s a legend of the game and I watched him play. And, for me, being proud of this group, you know, it’s huge for me and I’m really grateful that he gave me the opportunity to be here and be part of this club.
“So when I heard I was really happy to be his player and to continue working with him.”
Frank Lampard and Frank Onyeka
Frank Lampard and Frank Onyeka(Image: ( Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images))
What’s his message been to the players since you have come back for pre-season?
“Do your things and do everything that you need to do to get your fitness.”
Do you have a message for the fans ahead of the new season?
“We need you behind us. We need you to push us even in the bad moments, and we need you to stay with us. We want to feel their presence in the games because they will push us to do better.
“It’s not going to be good every single time and we’ll have our own bad moments, but we need them to stick with us and to push us. And I want to feel them, that’s what I would say.
“We know there is a special atmosphere at our home games, something that was so important to our success last season. So we know that can be a huge advantage and we can draw strength from that.
“We want to win at our home ground show teams that this is our ground and that we deserve to win every game there. So it’s not going to be easy for teams.”
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Coventry City writer Andy Turner
Coventry City writer Andy Turner
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