Sam’s the man as scouts flock to see City ace
LARGE numbers of scouts continue to attend Coventry City games at St Andrew’s.
Their main watching brief continues to be to check out Sam McCallum who has been linked with interest from several clubs from Premier League Championselect Liverpool to title-chasing Championship side Leeds United.
The 19-year-old certainly caught the eye again when he gave the Sky Blues the lead inside the first minute against MK Dons on Saturday, the goal coming as his third for the club – all impressive strikes from outside the box – and guaranteed to ensure the interested spies report back in glowing terms.
City maintain that no club has, as yet, made any bids or official inquiries for the young left-back who is currently operating as a wing-back.
But asked how he deals with the on-going speculation, McCallum offers a mature and measured response, saying: “It’s just in the background and until anything comes up I am just focused on Coventry.
“My head is not anywhere else at the moment.
“I just want to get minutes at Coventry.”
Recognising his talent and potential, Coventry manager Mark Robins was quick to tie the teenage down to a new and improved long-term contract last March, taking the club’s most saleable current asset to the summer of 2022.
“I have another year after this season and hopefully they will just use me more and see me as an asset that I can go and create chances and score more goals,” he said.
Liverpool are the latest club to be linked with interest, with reports emerging just before Christmas.
“I did see that and I suppose it doesn’t get much bigger than that but like I said, it’s just in the background and nothing has come of it,” he said.
Asked if he’s flattered to be linked to Jurgen Klopp’s outstanding Reds, he started to chuckle, answering: “It does make me smile.
“It makes me feel happy but you obviously don’t know what’s true and what’s not, so...”
McCallum has enjoyed a meteoric rise in his young career. Plucked from non-league obscurity at Herne Bay via the Jamie Vardy Academy at just 17, the attacking full-back wasted no time at all in racing into City’s first-team where this season he has established himself as Robins’ first choice in the position where he’s currently keeping out the equally impressive Brandon Mason. He’s made 32 appearances since breaking through last season, already chalking up 24 this term as he continues to learn his trade with regular first-team football in a hugely competitive league.
Asked if he feels Coventry remains the right place for his development, he said: “Yes, and me and Brandon have got healthy competition and when I don’t perform well I’ll be taken out, and I know that.
“I like to compete with other players and I’d say this is the right place for me.”
My head is not anywhere else at the moment. I just want to get minutes at Coventry.