This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Coventry City have joined Sheffield United in the race to sign Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall, per a report from Alan Nixon via Patreon.
According to the latest update from Football Insider, Worrall is indeed one of a number of players Forest are keen to move on this summer. Whilst, according to Nixon, the Sky Blues are interested in signing the defender on loan this transfer window.
However, they face competition from Championship rivals Sheffield United, who are also in the race to sign the 27-year-old. The Blades have been heavily linked with the defender for some time now, with TEAMtalk, reporting that they opened talks with Forest over a move for Worrall.
Worrall has fallen out of favour at the City Ground, with the Premier League side, but it has been reported that they are hoping to earn up to £4 million for the centre-back, amid growing interest in his services.
The report adds that the player himself is said to be keen on the move to the Blades, but things could change given that Coventry have now joined the race.
| Joe Worrall’s career stats – per Transfermarkt | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| Nottingham Forest | 226 | 5 | 6 |
| Dagenham & Redbridge (loan) | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Rangers (loan) | 32 | 1 | 0 |
| Besiktas (loan) | 9 | 1 | 0 |
Reaction emerges to Coventry and Joe Worrall transfer talk
Mark Robins made some key signings in the centre of defence last summer, with players such as Liam Kitching, Joel Latibeaudiere, and Bobby Thomas arriving. Luis Binks has also made his move permanent this summer as well.
FLW’s Coventry fan pundit Neil Littlewood believes his value in terms of experience would be a bonus, even if he goes against the regular recruitment model of pre-peak players in age-terms, and with plenty of depth in the centre of defence, too.
He said: “Joe Worrall goes a little bit against our normal recruitment policy, but I think we need a bit of experience, as we have quite a young squad.
“I wouldn’t say no to him coming in. He’s got experience at this level. He obviously got promotion with Forest and has Premier League experience.
“I think he’d be a good player to have in the squad. I do think Robins likes to have four centre-backs in the squad at the same time.
“And Latibeaudiere flattered to deceive a little bit when he was there. Whether he is now seen as right-back cover, I don’t know.
“To be fair, I think Worrall is a better player, so if he comes in, then it’s one of those that is good for the squad in that respect.
“I do think experience is needed within the squad somewhere. Whether that’s goalkeeper, centre-half, or in the centre of midfield.
“We’ve lost Liam Kelly, Simon Moore is another experienced player. We had Kyle McFadzean last season. All of that is down the spine of the team.
“As good as Bobby Thomas and Ben Sheaf are, they are still relatively young, so we do need that added experience into the side.
“Ideally it would be down the spine of the side, and in that respect, I think Worrall would be a clever signing.”
Joe Worrall and Coventry City
Worrall would be a solid but important addition for Coventry this summer, for the reasons outlined by Littlewood. Not only does he have a wealth of Championship experience, but he was key to Forest ending their drawn-out stay in the EFL under Steve Cooper in 2022.
Other intangible benefits such as his leadership and voice in the dressing room would be huge for the Sky Blues, though. they came so close to promotion in 2023 and fell just short of the play-offs last year, but Worrall’s presence around the club would be ideal.
Worrall will, rightly, want a side challenging the top-two in the Championship next season if he is to step back down to the second tier, but Cov could be a good option for him if he his wish his regular football at a club that he can have a big impact on.
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