Mark Robins is yet to officially name his new Coventry City captain for the 2024/25 campaign. It’s no secret that the standout candidate is Ben Sheaf, with the former Arsenal prospect favourite to take the armband following the departure of long-standing skipper Liam Kelly this summer.
Sheaf, meanwhile, has been the subject of speculation linking him with interest from a number of clubs, with newly promoted Ipswich Town and recently relegated Luton Town claimed to want the 26-year-old, according to the Sun’s transfer specialist Alan Nixon.
Fulham have also been reported as being interested and while Mark Robins is determined to keep the player who is seen as a key component in his Sky Blues side, a significant bid between £10million to £15m could test City’s resolve. Sheaf has understandable ambitions to return to the Premier League and Robins clearly hopes that desire can be fulfilled at the CBS Arena. And taking the captaincy would be seen as a clear statement of intent from the player to stay.
Asked about the armband, and whether he’s officially named his new skipper yet, the manager told CoventryLive: “No, not yet, but we’ll see. Sheafo is obviously in line for that.”
Other seniors who regularly deputised for Kelly when he wasn’t playing in recent years included Kyle McFadzean and Matty Godden, both of whom have moved on, while Jamie Allen – who, along with Ben Wilson, is one of the longest standing players in the squad, having both been at City for five years – has taken it on occasions.
Robins added: “Josh Eccles captained the first half against Stevenage and we have got Joel Latibeaudiere who has taken it before. Players have left and I am looking for others to step up, and there’s a really good team spirit and bond between them. Even though they are young, they are really good together.
“All the new ones are brilliant lads and characters, so it’s good and been a really promising start.”
Who should be City’s new captain?
Having gone agonisingly close in 2023 and fallen just short in 2024, anticipation is building that Coventry City can make it third time lucky with a successful promotion push in 2025.
Consecutive trips to Wembley for the Championship play-off final and an FA Cup semi-final suggests something special is happening with the Sky Blues – a club that’s been on an upward curve on the pitch for the last seven years under manager Mark Robins.
The arrival of new owner Doug King has also brought stability and investment in the club’s infrastructure with a major refurbishment of the club’s Ryton training base transforming what was a tired facility into an elite level complex.
Throw in a new-look squad built from high profile sales last summer, and added to again in the current transfer window, and fans can see the makings of a side equipped to go one better this time around.
Four players have been added so far with a bit of wing wizardry in the form of Ephron Mason-Clark from Peterborough United and Raphael Borges Rodrigues from Australian A-League side Macarthur FC, the re-signing of centre-half Luis Binks on a permanent deal from Bologna and the exciting attacking addition of Jack Rudoni from Huddersfield – a dynamic midfielder who can operate as a box-to-box eight or goal-getting 10 supplying the strikers.
And there are more deals to come, with Swedish goalkeeper Oliver Dovin understood to be on his way from Hammarby and a replacement front man for Matty Godden surely not too far away, to mention just two in the transfer pipeline.
Success will not come easy, of course, in a hugely competitive division with Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United parachuting down from the Prem and looking for a swift return, while the likes of Leeds and Norwich will again be among the favourites to return to the top table of English football.
Whichever way you look at it, this is a great time to be a Sky Blues fan – and to celebrate the optimism at the CBS, where more than 21,000 season ticket holders have committed to the new campaign, we’ve produced a Coventry City 2024/25 Kick Off special, our brilliant guide to the new season.
Our man at City, Andy Turner, will waltz you through what to expect from the Sky Blues in 2024/25, turn the spotlight on Robins and pinpoint what could be the key to success.
Our club-by-club guide gives you the lowdown on City’s Championship rivals and the managers in the division, while our away-day pages will tell you all you need to know about the grounds Coventry will be visiting.
With a full fixture list and key dates for the campaign, Coventry City 2024/25 Kick-Off will get you in perfect match shape in time for the Sky Blues’ opening day curtain-raiser at Stoke City on Saturday, August 10.
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