Haji Wright is said to be closing in on a return to action for Coventry City in the next few weeks, with the thought of a return for the American one that will get Sky Blue pulses racing.
The frontman has been out of action with an ankle injury for the past three months, with his last appearance for City coming all the way back in early November in a 2-2 draw with Sunderland, but has been seen back in the gym over the last few days.
Since then, Mark Robins has been replaced by Frank Lampard in the dugout, with last season’s FA Cup semi-finalists rediscovering their fluid attacking style of play, and surging up the table as a result.
With the prospect of another prolific striker to add to the mix in the coming weeks, we spoke to FLW’s Cov fan pundit Chris Deez about Wright’s return, and who will be missing out in a place in the first-team upon his return.
Haji Wright prediction made as striker steps up training ahead of Coventry City return
Pictures of Wright in the gym will have got tongues wagging in the Midlands over the weekend, with Wright said to be eying up a return to action in March, with Lampard tempering expectations of a return any sooner than that.
The 26-year-old could be the weapon that the Sky Blues need in the end-of-season play-off race, with just a point separating themselves and sixth-placed West Bromwich Albion as it stands, with 13 league games remaining in the season.
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Lampard has made good use of Brandon Thomas-Asante since coming into the fold, with the former Salford City striker scoring three goals in four matches in a purple patch that earned victories over Bristol City, Blackburn Rovers and Swansea City.
Those were the forward’s first goals since October though, and with a lack of consistency in the final third a constant flaw of Thomas-Asante’s game, Deez is counting down the days for Wright’s return.
With 19 goals in 50 appearances in all competitions last season, the former VVV Venlo man can be red-hot when on form, and there can be no excuses for not putting him straight back into the starting lineup when ready and available.
When asked about what he thinks Lampard’s plan will be going forwards, the Sky Blues fan said: “I think pretty much Cov fan will say the same thing, that they are very excited to see Haji Wright come back and see how he will work under and for Frank Lampard.
“As much as like Brandon Thomas-Asante, and I am glad that he had that nice little run of form, scoring three goals in six games and getting an assist, Haji Wright is our best out-and-out striker, it is that simple.
| Brandon Thomas-Asante 2024/25 Championship stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 32 |
| Starts | 14 |
| Goals | 4 |
| Assists | 2 |
“Last season, him and Ellis Simms worked together amazingly well, they were such a good partnership and one that we haven’t really had for a fair few seasons now.
“Thomas-Asante is sort of going back to the inconsistent form which we saw from him in the first place. He has gone four games without scoring now.
“We have played Burnley and Leeds in those four games, so fair enough – Burnley don’t concede goals and Leeds don’t concede many either – but there is something about Thomas-Asante that doesn’t click for me.”
Brandon Thomas-Asante quality questioned after Coventry City stint
Thomas-Asante is a player who has never been the most prolific in front of goal during his EFL career, with 18 goals in 72 league games for West Brom proving as much before last summer’s move to Cov.
Four goals in 32 league appearances this season has seen him frustrate his new fanbase during a tough start to the season, before his brief goalscoring run temporarily got the monkey off his back in terms of finding the back of the net.
But as old habits continue to linger, Deez is confident that Wright’s reemergence will see the 26-year-old relegated to the substitutes’ bench, with the supporters unsure about their striker’s potential as a top Championship performer.
“He is not the hardest of workers – I used to say that about Ellis Simms, but he has really turned around that side of his game – I don’t think Asante is at the level we need him to be when we are pushing for promotion to the Premier League.
“I think he is a good lower-end Championship, top end of League One striker at most.”
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