It seems like one of Mark Robins’ summertime gamble signings is paying off.
Coventry City has improved from their dismal start to the season, when they were victorious in just one of their first eight Championship games.
After going on a seven-game unbeaten streak, they are currently just three points out of the play-off positions in eighth place in the Championship.
It seemed as though manager Mark Robins had shaken off any play-off hangover. The previous season, his team lost the play-off final against Luton Town on penalties after a 1-1 draw, and as a result, they were not promoted to the Premier League.
A difficult summer for Coventry
As a result, with both of Coventry’s players from the previous season leaving, it became an extremely busy summer for Robins and the recruitment team. Viktor Gyokeres, a powerful striker, went for Portuguese powerhouse Sporting Lisbon for a fee of £20 million, while Gustavo Hamer, an energetic midfielder, left for Premier League newcomers Sheffield United for £15 million.
The departures of Sean Maguire, Michael Rose, and Fankaty Dabo left the Sky Blues’ roster lacking in some key areas.
| Coventry City – 2023/24 Signings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Player Name | Signed From | Loan/Permanent |
| Haji Wright | Antalyaspor | Permanent |
| Ellis Simms | Everton | Permanent |
| Liam Kitching | Barnsley | Permanent |
| Milan van Ewijk | Heerenveen | Permanent |
| Bobby Thomas | Burnley | Permanent |
| Tatsuhiro Sakamoto | KV Oostende | Permanent |
| Brad Collins | Barnsley | Permanent |
| Jay Dasilva | Bristol City | Permanent |
| Joel Latibeaudiere | Swansea City | Permanent |
| Yasin Ayari | Brighton | Loan |
| Luis Binks | Bologna | Loan |
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto showing his worth
But one signing that appears to have gone under the radar is that of Japanese international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto.
Sakamoto made the move to England from KV Oostende in the Belgian top flight, where he had spent the last year-and-a-half. He initially spent the second half of the 21/22 campaign on loan there from Cerezo Osaka in his homeland of Japan, before making the move permanent in the summer of 2022.
Last season, he would go on to make 32 appearances in all competitions as Oostende were relegated from the first division after ten years in the top flight.
This allowed Coventry to swoop in and bring Sakamoto to the Midlands, with the move a gamble at the time due to the fact he had not played in England at all in his career beforehand, and he was also part of a team that had been recently been relegated.
Sakamoto was also expensive for a chance in the Championship, as the Sky Blues had to pay £1.2 million to sign a three-year contract with him.
However, Sakamoto has made this signing appear like a genius in the first half of the season.
Predominantly playing on the right-hand side for Coventry, he has been a versatile option for Robins so far, with his brilliant dribbling ability causing Championship defences many problems already this season.
In 22 Championship appearances, Sakamoto has six goals and two assists to his name, all of which have come in his last 10 appearances in the Championship – which is particularly impressive as he failed to score for Oostende last season.
He has in particular seen an eye for goal recently – with five of his six goals coming in the last four games – with braces in the 3-1 victory over Middlesbrough and the 2-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday. His two assists also came within the space of three games in December, in a 2-0 win over Birmingham and the impressive 1-1 draw with Leeds United at Elland Road.
What appeared to be a risk at first is clearly paying off for the Sky Blues.
