STRIKER GETS A SECOND CHANCE
WALKER STARTS WITH A CLEAN SLATE AFTER ‘FRANK’ DISCUSSIONS SAYS SKY BLUES BOSS
MARK Robins has left Tyler Walker “under no illusions” as to where he stands at Coventry City after the pair held a “frank conversation” about his future.
The 25-year-old striker was sent out on loan to League One Portsmouth in January after the player had become increasingly frustrated at not getting enough game time with the Sky Blues. The move saw the former Nottingham Forest player hook up with his former boss Danny Cowley at Fratton Park, for whom he’d scored 16 goals during a prolific six-month loan spell at Lincoln City in the 2019/20 campaign, the season before signing a three-year contract with City for an undisclosed fee.
That was a deliberate match in the hope of
Walker recapturing his confidence and form, while Pompey paying a sizeable chunk of his wages freed up funds to enable Coventry to sign Jake Bidwell from Swansea in the same mid-term transfer window.
The forward, however, managed just one goal in 15 appearances for the South Coast club where he slipped down the pecking order and out of favour.
His disappointing spell with Pompey prompted speculation about his future, and whether the Sky Blues would look to move the player on this summer with a year left of his contract.
Certainly, he faces hot competition from Viktor Gyokeres and Matty Godden to get into the starting line-up, assuming the Swede is still at the club next season.
Asked about Walker’s situation, manager Robins told the Coventry Telegraph: “I have had a meeting with Tyler because nothing has changed.
“He’s a goalscorer and you don’t give goalscorers away. He’s been to Portsmouth and it didn’t go how he hoped it would have done, but also what it’s done is, he’s come back and it’s a case of, ‘right, okay,’ and we had a conversation on the back of, let’s see where we’re at in pre-season.
“We’ll have a look and see where you’re at. He’s going to train, he’s going to work hard, which I think he has already done this summer anyway, and he will come back and we will just wipe the slate clean and see where he is. So we’ll go from there. I don’t think I can say fairer than that with anybody.”
He added: “What’s happened has happened. He’s been out and come back and he’s our player, and like I say, he is a goalscorer – always has been and always will be. And we need to see where he’s at when we get into pre-season, and I am not just talking about this week. We have five weeks and three days of pre-season to go so let’s see.”
Asked if he’s been impressed by Walker’s determination to get back to his best form, Robins said: “He’s under no illusions as to where he stands. Ultimately it’s down to the players and Tyler’s no different. We had a frank conversation and spoke about the way things were and how they have gone, and what was expected and what we would do. And we drew a line under last season.”