Coventry City’s goal is to bolster the team and position themselves to eventually advance out of the Championship after missing out on the playoffs the previous season. However, they have already suffered a setback to their summer ambitions.
Sky Blues will add more players in the summer
Following the heartbreak at Wembley in 2022–2023 and the loss of great players Viktor Gyökeres and Gustavo Hamer, it appears that some of the Sky Blues’ best players may once again go this summer for large sums of money.
A number of Premiership teams are keen to agree to a deal for Ben Sheaf, the midfield player who has drawn the most interest. Manchester United is one of the teams reportedly considering a move for the 26-year-old; they have been connected to a £21 million offer. Similar to how they spent a combined £35 million on Hamer and Gyökeres, the Sky Blues will probably add any potential Sheaf fee back into the playing group.
Coventry are rarely a side that sell without someone lined up, as shown in the signing of Haji Wright to replace Gyökeres last summer. With this in mind, it appears that Coventry had already agreed a deal to bring a highly rated midfielder to the West Midlands, only to lose out at the last second.
Coventry agree deal for midfield talent but move collapses
As reported by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, Coventry had agreed a deal to sign Red Star Belgrade’s Marko Stamenic. Citing a fee in the region of £4million, the outlet claimed that the Sky Blues had fended off interest from Premier League side Nottingham Forest to get the deal over the line.
However, the player has since rejected the move to the second tier due to a desire to play in the top flight, and will now join Forest before moving to Olympiakos – who recently won the UEFA Conference League – on loan, according to reports in Greece.
The 22-year-old holding midfielder had been targeted by Coventry for some time; he was seen to be a good companion for Sheaf and might even be the Englishman’s replacement should he leave this summer. The New Zealand international played in 22 league games as his team won the Serbian SuperLiga championship the previous year.
Additionally, Stamenic made four appearances during Red Star’s Champions League run the previous season. In a group that also included BSC Young Boys, RB Leipzig, and Manchester City, the midfield player only managed one goal.
Although the 22-year-old has shown great performances for Red Star, there has long been speculation that his future lay outside of Serbia. Stamenic’s current coach, Nenad Milijas, praised the midfielder to the press when discussing Coventry’s interest earlier this month, saying, “Stamenić is a quality player who showed quality at the beginning and end of his stay at the Maracana.” I’m hoping he succeeds in Coventry.
“Marko is excellently prepared, even for a tough league such as the Championship.He will have no problems with the physical requirements, the rest will be helped by the people from the club so that he can play well for Coventry from the first game.”
However, the Sky Blues will now have to watch on as their top target performs on the European stage with the 47-time Greek champions next season.
