Here are two transactions that might start Mark Robins’ fantasy summer window as Coventry City prepares for a busy one.
Even though Coventry City’s season ended in sadness due to their narrow miss to the play-offs, they had another thrilling campaign.
The Sky Blues’ incredible FA Cup run served as additional evidence that Mark Robins is creating a truly elite team at the CBS Arena. Mark Robins is still doing a fantastic job with the team.
| Championship standings 2023/24 | ||||
| Team | P | GD | Pts | |
| 1 | Leicester City (C) | 46 | 48 | 97 |
| 2 | Ipswich Town (P) | 46 | 35 | 96 |
| 3 | Leeds United | 46 | 38 | 90 |
| 4 | Southampton | 46 | 24 | 87 |
| 5 | West Brom | 46 | 23 | 75 |
| 6 | Norwich City | 46 | 15 | 73 |
| 7 | Hull City | 46 | 8 | 70 |
| 8 | Middlesbrough | 46 | 9 | 69 |
| 9 | Coventry City | 46 | 11 | 64 |
The Midlands team famously overcame a 3-0 deficit in stoppage time to defeat Wolves 3-2 in a thrilling quarterfinal match. However, VAR prevented them from pulling off what is perhaps the greatest comeback in English football history when they fell to Manchester United on penalties following a 3-0 deficit in the semi-final at Wembley.
It was a severe setback because the play-off final loss to Luton Town twelve months prior was Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres’ final game for the team. To their credit, the hiring team filled their vacancies with some intriguing new members.
Callum O’Hare is expected to leave the Sky Blues on a free transfer due to interest from West Ham, so it looks like it will be another busy summer for the team.
But, a lot more deals are likely, and here we outline two transfers that could kick off a dream start to the window for Coventry…
Out: Matty Godden
There won’t be much joy when Matty Godden leaves Coventry, as he is a player who has contributed so much over the years, and he was key to the team winning promotion back to the Championship.
Yet, with Ellis Simms and Haji Wright showing their class in the past few months, the reality is that Godden isn’t going to get the game time he wants moving forward, and that has been the case during the run-in.
At 32, he should still have a lot to offer, even if he has to drop down to the third tier once more to become a key figure week in, week out.
With a year left on his deal, this is Coventry’s last chance to get a fee for the attacker, so it seems like the right moment for all parties if Godden does move on. That would also free up space in the squad for Robins to bring in a new forward player.
Charlton have been linked with him recently and the chance to spearhead another promotion push may appeal to the ex-Peterborough United man.
In: Chris Willock
If Godden does depart, along with O’Hare, then bringing in attacking reinforcements is sure to be a priority for Robins when the window opens.
The Sky Blues should be in a position to spend, but the scouting department will always be on the lookout for potential bargains, and one man who falls into that category is Chris Willock.
The QPR man is out of contract with the West Londoners this summer, and he has already been linked with a few Championship clubs, so winning the race for his signature won’t be easy.
Yet, the prospect of joining Coventry is sure to appeal, and his pace and direct style makes him ideally suited to the way that Robins wants to play, and he could make an impact down either flank.
With the influential Tatsuhiro Sakamoto having spent time out injured, bringing in more width is sure to be part of the plan, so Willock would be a real coup for Coventry.
