Coventry City have a long way to go if they are to achieve a strong league finish this campaign.
The Sky Blues have endured a tough first half of the season which, as a result, has seen modern-day club legend Mark Robins get the sack. At the time of his sacking, Robins was the longest-serving manager in the Championship, so there were big boots to fill.
In came Frank Lampard, who had last managed Chelsea in the Premier League, to steady the ship. Initially, Lampard began to turn things around as he won two of his first four games in charge, which placed them nicely in mid-table.
| Frank Lampard’s first five games in charge of Coventry City | |
|---|---|
| Opposition | Result |
| Cardiff City (H) | 2-2 D |
| Millwall (A) | 1-0 W |
| West Brom (A) | 2-0 L |
| Hull City (H) | 2-1 W |
| Portsmouth (A) | 4-1 L |
However, his side then lost 4-1 to relegation-threatened Portsmouth, which suggested that there were still improvements to be made.
Fortunately for Lampard, January is right around the corner, which will give him the opportunity to bring in reinforcements and ensure that his squad are up to scratch.
Coventry fan identifies the areas to prioritise in January
This week, Football League World spoke to their Sky Blues fan pundit, Ryan Murphy, who outlined his hopes ahead of Lampard’s first transfer window at the club.
“The perfect January would be to not lose any key players, like Haji Wright, and to add two or three. A senior head in midfield or at the heart of defence who can help the younger guys with their experience.
“Left wing-back or right wing-back. We are heavily linked with Kai Wagner who is playing in the MLS, but we’ve also got a lot of competition to get that signing, it seems, with Burnley and Atalanta also looking at him. These are teams that probably have a bigger pull than Coventry City, but who knows, Frank Lampard might be a bit of a pull.
“It’s definitely someone who fits the mould, an attacking left wing-back that gets assists and goals, so he was someone that I’d love us to sign. If it’s not him, then someone of that nature.
“We need to add attacking players from wing-back positions, because they’re not attacking enough, and we need to add a senior head.
“If we can get three in, that would be a perfect January and then maybe just maybe we can give ourselves a chance of sneaking into the back door of the play-offs at the end of the season.”
Coventry’s interest in Kai Wagner
Coventry were first linked with MLS star, Kai Wagner, at the start of December by journalist, Florian Plettenberg, who also claimed that he has a release clause of €2 million which could be met this January.
The defensive domino effect at the CBS Arena could start to unravel pretty soon.
The Sky Blues will face competition for his signature, with Burnley, Atalanta and Parma all named as clubs that are also keen. Plettenberg claimed that he was attracting interest in Germany and Spain on top of that.
Wagner would be a superb addition to Lampard’s Coventry as he is a left back who loves to bomb forward and create goals, having assisted 10 in the MLS this year, which is exactly what the Sky Blues need right now.
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