Doug King insists Brighton have benefitted as much as anyone from Carl Rushworth’s loan at Coventry City.
The 24-year-old arrived at the Sky Blues in the summer, on a season-long designed to cover the absence of Oliver Dovin.
Since then the Seagulls stopper has played every minute of the Championship season and has already ready posted a league-high 13 clean sheets from 37 matches.
Indeed he has done so well that with City on the brink of promotion to the Premier League there has been talk of a permanent move for the former England Under-21.
The Sky Blues chairman has addressed the idea and in doing so stressed how much the Sky Blues have done for Rushworth.
“Obviously we brought him in on loan. I do know Tony Bloom personally as well,” King told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. “We did try to buy him, that wasn’t able to be done at the time.
“He’s shown himself to be a high quality goalkeeper, and when we lost Oliver, we recognised for sure this season particularly we needed a high quality goalkeeper that just adds that assuredness.
“It’s very important, a top quality goalkeeper, just because it pervades out to the team and to the defence if you’re very sure of somebody behind you, and I think we’ve all seen him grow into a fantastic goalkeeper. Now look, you know, never fall in love with a loan player, right?
“Ollie Dovin was going great for us until he did his ACL at Sheffield United. He’s had a tough rehab to get back and he is coming back, which is great to see.
“He’s the Swedish Under-21 goalkeeper, he’s a great goalkeeper. Carl’s come in and it’s been great for him because he hadn’t had much playing time.
“He went to Hull, got injured, went back, he was pulled back by Brighton, didn’t get a game, a bit frustrated.
“We’ve given him that platform and we’ve given that platform to Brighton as well, that’s what we’ve done for Brighton & Hove Albion, and we’ve allowed one of their goalkeepers to showcase himself in the in the Championship.
“So they should be pretty happy with the way it’s gone for us and for and for them. Listen, shout out to him, he’s done great and hopefully he’ll continue to do great for the next nine games.”
Rushworth has himself been discussing his future and admitted he is in a hurry to become a Premier League goalkeeper – and that there will be ‘a conversation’ with Brighton in the summer.
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