Summer deals must move us forward – boss
MARK Robins teased Coventry City fans when he revealed he has got up to three new signings who are, “sort of ready to drop,” early in the summer transfer window.
It’s always tricky getting deals done early, not least because most players are on their holidays in the first few weeks after the end of the season, and that’s believed to be the situation in at least one case, while another target is understood to have been involved in an extended campaign before taking his well-earned vacation. Certainly, there’s nothing to suggest any agreed deals have broken down but simply that completions and announcements have been delayed slightly due to their availability.
And although some deals have already been agreed, like Jordan Shipley’s move to Shrewsbury Town, the transfer window doesn’t actually officially open until June 10.
It’s unclear exactly how many players the Sky Blues boss will bring in and that could be a moveable feast depending on how the window pans out. There will be scope for wheeling and dealing, and if peripheral contracted players leave that would free up wages and give Robins scope to add fresh faces.
The sale of one or more of City’s star assets, meanwhile, would put a completely different complexion on the transfer window. And while the departures of any of the big three would be unwelcome and far from ideal, the money generated would enable the City boss to have more spending power in the market and trigger a ‘Plan B’ in which a quality replacement (or replacements) would be sought, as well as having funds left over to do additional business given the fact that their respective values are in the millions.
But as things stand, and assuming a top flight or upwardly mobile Championship club doesn’t break City’s resolve with offers they can’t refuse for Gustavo Hamer, Viktor Gyokeres or Callum O’hare, Robins will be working to a limited budget. We already know he needs a new left-sided centre-half, left wing-back and attacking midfielder, and possibly a new striker depending on what happens with the likes of Tyler Walker and Martyn Waghorn, both of whom have another year on their contracts but may want to secure more guaranteed game time elsewhere.
Asked how much business he’s looking to do, Robins told the Coventry Telegraph: “I will try to do as much as I possibly can do with what I have available, but then certain things will take place where we have to move people on, players who haven’t played enough.
“And then some may be unhappy about the lack of game time they’ve had, so that might turn into something different, but that remains to be seen. But ultimately, we have got to try to move it forward again, which is what we always try to do, and what we have done.”