News from CoventryLive about Coventry City as we prepare for what might be a busy week leading up to the January transfer deadline
As Coventry City looks to wrap up their January window business, the countdown to transfer deadline day is on. On February 1, clubs have until 11 p.m. to close any deals. It is unclear whether any more people will be joining the CBS Arena and whether any will be leaving before the end of the week.
For the Sky Blues, this transfer window has been quieter as usual. As manager Mark Robins continues to assemble his team and maybe add some talent to aid in the push for a postseason berth, they are still keeping an eye on targets.
Last week, there were a lot of reports suggesting that City had lost out on a very ambitious bid to recruit Argentinean winger Benjamin Rollheiser for an incredible £6.5 million upfront, with reports suggesting it may have gone as high as £9 million. But the 23-year-old turned down the Sky Blues and instead to sign with Portuguese powerhouse Benfica.
On the other end of the transfer spectrum, CoventryLive has learned that Josh Stokes, a 19-year-old midfielder for Aldershot Town, did, in fact, miss out on the club last week. The teenager chose to sign for Bristol City in a £250,000 deal, but he returned to the selling club on loan for the rest of the season.
“We’re always trying to do things and improve things, and that will remain the case,” Robins added, dropping a hint that the team is still looking to strengthen in the current window.
Callum O’Hare is currently unwilling to sign a new contract before the summer, when he will be a free agent and able to leave the club for nothing, therefore there is a lot of question around his future at the club. There has been a lot of conjecture over the attacking midfield player’s potential suitors and whether a bid from a team prepared to pay for him now rather than wait until the conclusion of the season will be made this week.
While the player is eager to finish the last few months of his contract and assist the team reach its goals this season, owner Doug King has taken the position of keeping an open mind and “seeing how things play out.”
In other news, Ben Sheaf has reportedly drawn interest from Luton Town. We will watch to see if any offers are made for the talented midfield player, however the club is expected to respond with a clear “hands off.”
Regarding any other possible departures, Kyle McFadzean, Liam Kelly, and Simon Moore have all fallen so far down the list in recent weeks that they aren’t even included in the matchday squad, as was the case on Friday night. Kelly was listed on the FA Cup roster, although she hasn’t played in the league lately either.
Ins
Danish midfielder Victor Torp, who paid £2.1 million to join the Sky Blues from top-tier Norwegian team Sarpsborg, made an incredible debut on Friday night against Sheffield Wednesday.
Outs
Yasin Ayari’s season-long loan from Brighton was terminated when his parent club called him back because he was not seeing enough action with the Sky Blues. He was sent on loan right away to Blackburn Rovers, a Championship team, however he has only appeared in 13 minutes of action from the bench during the FA Cup third round thus far.
Teenage striker Justin Obikwu of City made a loan move to League Two team Grimsby Town till the end of the season and last month agreed to a new contract with the Sky Blues that would take him to the summer of 2025.
