Coventry City boss Mark Robins has played down the chances of moving to sign a free agent midfielder to bolster their ranks in the middle.
Coventry City enjoyed a busy summer transfer window. There were several high profile arrivals after the departures of key men Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, freeing up plenty of space in the budget for fresh additions to be made.
However, with after midfield star Hamer’s move to Sheffield United, a direct replacement was not signed. That coupled with a new injury to star Ben Sheaf has led to questions of a possible dip into the free agents market.
Despite the potential shortage in midfield though, manager Robins has played down the chances of bringing anyone in on a free transfer. Speaking to Coventry Live when asked about a potential move, he replied:
“No, I don’t think so.
“I think we have got to utilise what we have. I think we can look to see what’s out there and always will but with the amount of change we’ve had we have to get everyone in and firing.
“Having an extra body doesn’t always work so look, we will try to use everything at our disposal really, and something out there may just tick a box but at this moment in time we have got to work with what we have, the players that we have, because there’s been a significant change.
“And we’ll find a way. We will find a way. It’s just taking that little bit of time but people have to remember we didn’t have that pre-season to work with everyone, so they have only been together, really, for a few weeks.”
The Sky Blues currently have four options in central midfield. Liam Kelly, Josh Eccles, Jamie Allen and Brighton & Hove Albion loan man Yasin Ayari are all available for selection in the middle while Sheaf is sidelined.
Enough options for Robins?
There’s no doubt that the injury to Sheaf is a big blow.
Between him being cast to the sidelines and the sale and failure to replace Hamer, the Sky Blues are now without the midfield partnership that was so crucial for them last year.
It’ll be up to the likes of Kelly, Eccles, Allen and Ayari to prove they’re capable of coming into the team now. The chance is there for at two of those players to prove they’re capable of holding a starting role, but time will tell just who can nail down a place in Robins’ XI.
The signing of a free agent would add a bit of depth but at this stage, most players without clubs have been out of the game since the end of last season. That would mean they need a fair but of time to get up to speed and by then, they could be surplus to requirements when Sheaf returns.
