Coventry City’s summer transfer window revamp has been notable, with the sales of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer providing manager Mark Robins with the finances to bolster his squad.
Gyokeres became the Sky Blues’ club record sale in July, when Sporting Clube de Portugal paid over £20 million to join the Swede, while Hamer was sold to Sheffield United for £15 million a month later.
Both Gyokeres and Hamer had contracts expiring in the summer of 2024, so Cov had to either persuade them to stay at the CBS Arena or cash out – which they did.
But what about the players whose contracts are set to expire at the end of June next year? Consider the four members of Robins’ squad who will be leaving if their contracts are not renewed.
1Callum O’Hare
If he was under contract for a while still, then O’Hare would probably be Coventry’s most valuable asset right now – especially if he hadn’t had injury troubles in the last 12 months and longer.
A product of the Aston Villa academy, O’Hare joined the Sky Blues on loan in 2019 and was a big part of their promotion-winning side in the 2019-20 season, contributing to six goals before the campaign was curtailed due to COVID-19 and the Sky Blues went up via PPG (points per game).
O’Hare has been a creative star at Championship level for Coventry, and that caught the eye of Burnley last summer, with Vincent Kompany making a big play to try and sign the diminutive midfielder.
A serious hamstring injury though that put him on the sidelines before the 2022-23 season started put paid to any potential sale, and when he did return to action in October 2022, O’Hare only lasted 11 matches before suffering a cruel knee injury before the year was out.
That ended O’Hare’s season and he hasn’t been seen since, and there is no way of knowing how he will be when he does eventually make his return to competitive action, which is expected to be in the very near future.
And it is that unknown that could be the reason as to why O’Hare hasn’t signed a new contract yet as there may be nothing on the table until he proves his fitness.
It would be an awful shame if the 25-year-old didn’t return the same player, but there has to be confidence that he has retained his ability.
2Liam Kelly
Having been around since Coventry’s League Two days, Kelly is the longest-serving member of Mark Robins’ squad and he is continuing to play his part at the age of 33.
The veteran midfielder’s appearances have dwindled in the last few years, with several injuries keeping Kelly out of contention over the seasons, but he has been starting regularly in the engine room in 2023-24.
If Kelly can prove he has something left to offer at the end of the season, then it’d be a surprise if he doesn’t get another year’s deal.
3Kyle McFadzean
McFadzean, another Sky Blues veteran, appears to have improved with age and has been at the heart of Robins’ defense for many seasons since his arrival in 2019.
When fit, the 36-year-old has been a constant at the back, but you have to question how much time the no-nonsense defender has left in the second division.
McFadzean could have one more year on his contract, but Coventry have brought in younger centre-backs over the summer, so he could be eased out gradually with fewer appearances to come.
4Simon Moore
Moore was signed as a competition to Ben Wilson in 2021 and was first-choice stopper in his first year, but after being displaced by Wilson in the early stages of 2022-23, the 33-year-old is now third-choice after Brad Collins’ arrival.
Moore is unlikely to play a meaningful match for the Sky Blues again, therefore a new contract is unlikely unless he is content with being third in charge.
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