Jake Bidwell has been the subject of transfer speculation a couple of times during his two and a half years at Coventry City but the popular full-back insists he has no intentions of leaving the club any time soon.
The elder statesman of the Sky Blues team who, at 31, is the oldest outfield player at the club, was strongly linked with a move to Birmingham City in January last year to make way for Jay Dasilva’s arrival from Bristol City. However, the latter deal failed to materialise until the summer and the former Swansea defender stayed put.
Although he started last season behind Dasilva in the pecking order, Bidwell worked his way back into the team to re-establish himself as Mark Robins’ largely first choice left-back – a situation that has continued into the new campaign despite summer speculation that the manager was keen on drafting in fresh competition for the position and wouldn’t stand in his way if he could find another club.
Asked about the speculation that he might have been moving on to pastures new and put to him that the fact he’s still here shows how much belief he has in staying at City, Bidwell said: “When I came here, one of the reasons was because I thought the club was going in the right direction and I thought I could add to that, and I like to think that’s been the case so far. And listen, I love it here and I will stay here as long as I am wanted and as long as I am contributing. And hopefully we can take that next step this season.”
Bidwell has started the first three Championship games of the new season ahead of Dasilva and knows competition is the secret to success.
“That’s part and parcel of modern day football and if you want to achieve something you have to have a squad, which gives you a better chance of doing that,” he said. “But obviously, you have to fight for your place.”
Bidwell’s popularity has certainly grown among the fans over his time at the club. He started out as a bit of a cult figure but has become more widely appreciated for his consistent, no-nonsense performances over the last 12 months when he’s enjoyed a good rapport with the supporters.
“I think they get behind all the lads but yes, they have been great for me and it’s something I really appreciate,” he said. “The weight of the supporters really makes a difference to us.”
Asked how aware he is of the love he gets from the fans, he added: “I’m not a massive presence on social media but there have been certain games when you come out and the match hasn’t even started and you get an idea of the appreciation. And it’s certainly not lost on me. As I say, I am not big on social media but you can definitely feel it when I speak to fans outside the ground, and it’s something I really appreciate.
“I think it has probably come from, and I’d like to think it has come from the fact that I represent their club in the way they want me to in terms of I leave it all out there every time I play. I have a good relationship with them and hopefully that will continue to grow.”
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Entering his third full season and final year of his current contract, Bidwell is hopeful that it will be a successful one for the club.
“There’s a lot of positivity around the place, there have been changes to the training ground, 22,000 season tickets, so everything is set up for us and it’s down to us now to turn that into points.”
And the fact that there hasn’t been such a big turnover of players in the transfer window means there should be more continuity from last season into this.
“I think it was something that was spoken about last year with the big turnover of players,” he agreed. “Obviously there are comings and goings with any transfer window but we are a little bit more settled this time. A lot of lads have got a Championship season under their belts so they know what to expect. The lads that have come in have shown what they are about already and added to the squad, so we’re in a good place.”
As one of the older players at the club, following the departures of Matty Godden and Liam Kelly, he is keen to pass on his experience and help those around him.
“I am the oldest outfield player in the squad now and I have been around the Championship for a long time so I know what to expect and think I can pass down knowledge, especially to the younger lads who haven’t played in the division before,” he said.
“There have been lads who have gone and that’s left a bit of a void in that respect, so hopefully the lads can come to me if they need to draw on my experience.”
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