The 3 Coventry City players that can save the club millions
We looked at three Coventry City youngsters who could save the club from paying transfer fees in the future.
Coventry City will be hoping to challenge for promotion in the Championship once again this season.
The Sky Blues enjoyed an excellent campaign as they finished fifth in the second tier last season, but they suffered heartbreak as they were beaten on penalties by Luton Town in the play-off final at Wembley in May.
Coventry lost star duo Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer this summer, but Mark Robins was significantly backed by owner Doug King in the transfer market, with 11 new players arriving at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The Sky Blues’ huge recruitment drive means that opportunities are likely to be limited for young players this season, but the club’s academy is producing a number of exciting talents.
With that in mind, we looked at three young players that could save the club money on transfer fees in the future.
Kai Andrews
Andrews made his senior debut for Coventry in August, coming on as a late substitute in a 3-0 home win over Middlesbrough.
Chris Allen, assistant senior professional development phase coach, was pleased to see Andrews make the first team, but urged him to keep working hard in order to reach his full potential.
“Fantastic achievement for the club itself and for Kai as an individual,” Allen told the club’s official website.
“But you just don’t sit on your laurels. He’s come on for what 10 seconds and that’s great, but don’t get carried away with it, because he hasn’t achieved anything.
“You just need to get down and work hard and get himself amongst it as much as you can and that should spur him on to go and do some fantastic things.”
Andrews has clearly made an impression on his team-mates, with midfielder Ben Sheaf praising the 17-year-old for his attitude since making the step up to the senior squad.
“He has come in at the start of this pre-season and trained really well. He is a good lad and he deserves his chance,” Sheaf told the club’s official website.
“He trained well this week and the gaffer is not going to hand out starts and opportunities to anyone so he must obviously have good quality. He just need to get his head down and kick on.”
Strikers are notoriously tough to sign and can command high fees, with Coventry breaking their transfer record to sign Wright from Antalyaspor this summer for a fee of £7.7 million.
Of course, Andrews will need time and patience to adjust to the Championship, but if he continues to improve, he may be a tremendous asset for the Sky Blues in the future.
Jack Burroughs
Burroughs had a breakout season at the club last season, appearing in 14 games across all competitions.
The 22-year-old midfielder/wing-back has been with the Sky Blues since he was seven years old and signed a new two-year contract in June.
Burroughs is presently on loan at League One club Lincoln City, where he has been a regular for Mark Kennedy’s team this season.
Burroughs could force his way into contention for a starting berth when he returns to the Coventry Building Society Arena next summer if he continues to impress at Sincil Bank.
Burroughs is highly rated by Robins, with the manager describing the Scotland U21 international as a “Premier League athlete” after the 1-0 win over West Brom in December.
“What Jack does do is give you a problem if you’re a defender and if he gets a little bit more comfortable he could do anything, because athletically he’s a Premier League athlete. He’s really, really good, and I am pleased with what he is doing at the moment,” Robins told Coventry Live.
Fabio Tavares
