Coventry City should loan these two players out in January.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Coventry City has had to adapt to the absence of their star players Gyokeres and Hamer, but they have shown improved form before the international break.
- Despite significant spending in the summer, Coventry’s squad is relatively small, making it unlikely for many players to leave in January. Loans for regular playing time could be an option.
- Fabio Tavares, who recently returned from injury, could benefit from a loan to a lower division for further development. Jake Bidwell, pushed down the pecking order, could also seek more playing time at another Championship club.
Coventry City’s first few months of the 2023-24 Championship season have been somewhat of a learning experience as they adjust to life without their two great players, Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer.
The sales of the Swede and the Dutchman provided manager Mark Robins with a large quantity of money to spend over the summer, and the make-up of his squad now looks very different, with many new faces playing at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
City are 13th in the Championship after 11 games, but they were finally showing some form before the international break, picking up eight points out of a potential 12.
Despite their summer investment, Coventry’s roster isn’t very large, and until a few more new faces are brought in during the January transfer window, there won’t be much in the way of outgoings.
However, Robins may be able to loan out a couple of his squad members for more regular football – let’s have a look at TWO players who would be better off playing the second half of the season elsewhere.
1Fabio Tavares
Considering he had only scored four senior goals for Rochdale in 39 appearances at the time of his arrival at Coventry in February 2021, Tavares wasn’t expected to have an immediate impact for the Sky Blues and he was noted as one for the future.
His time eventually did come though a year later in the 2021-22 season though as he made multiple cameo appearances in the Championship, and in just his second appearance for Cov he scored a fantastic first goal for the club against Preston North End.
The Portuguese youngster was part of Robins’ plans last season, playing 11 times in all competitions, but disaster struck in the FA Cup against Wrexham in January when a ruptured achilles tendon put the forward on the shelf for the remainder of the campaign.
2Jake Bidwell
The arrival of Jay Dasilva from Bristol City over the summer on a long-term contract has seen Bidwell – who was a regular fixture in the starting 11 last season – pushed down the pecking order.
It may seem harsh on the 30-year-old considering he was a key member of a squad that reached the Championship play-offs in 2022-23, but Robins plainly likes Dasilva’s pace down the left side of the pitch at the present.
And, with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto capable of playing as a left wing-back as well as a right wing-back, Bidwell may now be the third choice.
For a player of Bidwell’s experience, he could easily move and obtain regular game-time at another Championship club from January onwards, therefore a transaction should be considered if another club is willing to pay his salaries.
