Coventry City have been told to let young striker Justin Obikwu leave on loan this summer after impressing in the Sky Blues’ pre-season fixtures.
The 20-year-old striker spent the second half of last season on loan at League Two side Grimsby Town, and with competitive first-team action set to be at a premium at the CBS Arena, Obikwu could potentially thrive with regular football elsewhere.
The Trinidad and Tobago international joined the Sky Blues’ academy from London-based Harefield United in 2021, but he’s yet to make his competitive first-team bow for Mark Robins’ side.
Robins told Coventry Live that “there’ll be takers” for Obikwu on loan this summer following his impressive performances in pre-season, and it seems like a season-long loan away from the CBS Arena could be something that the club are seriously considering.
Coventry City urged to let Justin Obikwu leave on loan this summer
FLW’s Coventry City fan pundit, Neil Littlewood, thinks Obikwu is a player who could break into Coventry’s first-team in the future, and believes a loan move would be good for him this summer.
Speaking to Football League World, Neil said: “I think the one player we should loan out is Justin Obikwu, a big, fast, powerful, strong striker.
“He scored a couple of goals in pre-season and went on loan to Grimsby last year and I think he’s the only player from the academy that could break through into the first-team, and he needs a season of competitive first-team football, playing every week, going home and away, playing in front of crowds and all that sort of stuff.
“I think Grimsby was a great move for him last year and there were rumours that Northampton and Port Vale were looking at him this summer, with a view to going out on loan and I think both are them are really good moves, Port Vale have recruited really well and are looking to bounce back into League One.
“Darren Moore has been around the block as a gaffer, and they’re a good club, they get good support and I think it would be good for him to play in that sort of environment.
“Obikwu is the one who should be loaned out and get that development in him to see if he’s a player who challenges for the first-team in a couple of years’ time.”
Justin Obikwu would be an excellent signing on loan for a League One or Two club
Obviously, you can’t read all too much into pre-season, but Obikwu has put some impressive performances in, and a loan to a League One or League Two club would benefit all parties.
Obikwu’s time at Grimsby Town last season was the first time he’d ever played senior football, and he gave a decent account of himself, scoring three times in 16 appearances, having started ten games for Dave Artell’s side.
| Justin Obikwu’s 2023/24 Grimsby Town League Two Stats – As Per Fotmob | |
| Appearances | 16 |
| Starts | 6 |
| Minutes played | 837 |
| Goals | 3 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Shots | 21 |
| Shots on target | 11 |
| Chances created | 2 |
| Dribble success | 37.9% |
| Duels won | 41.9% |
With that experience under his belt, you’d have thought he’d improve yet again this coming season, and Robins believes that the player has improved dramatically over the last 12 months.
Speaking to Coventry Live, Robins said: “He’s done really well, but there’s still clearly a long way to go for him.
“But his level has gone up from last year, quite markedly really. He’s worked hard, and his loan spell was successful with Dave Artell up at Grimsby, and I am sure there will be takers for him again if we decide to let him out again.”
This shows that Obikwu could be a real asset to a club in the lower echelons of the EFL, and he should be looking at the 24/25 campaign as a chance to really make a name for himself in senior football.
With first-team opportunities at Coventry hard to come by, a loan away from the CBS Arena seems a suitable option for Obikwu this summer.
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