Coventry City news from CoventryLive as we take a look at the players who have a battle on their hands to work their way back into Mark Robins’ first team
Every transfer window provides clubs with the opportunity to hit the reset button, to refresh and hopefully come out the other side stronger than they did at the start of the trading period.
At a club like Coventry City, which is clearly evolving into a top end Championship outfit with ambitious designs on Premier League football, there will naturally be players who fall by the wayside; personnel who may have dropped out of favour or slipped down the matchday pecking order.
The Sky Blues let go a number of peripheral players this time around, with the likes of goalkeeper Simon Moore, midfielder Liam Kelly and, more latterly, striker Matty Godden moving due to being unable to get enough game time.
The arrival of seven new faces this summer has increased competition in Mark Robins’ squad which, fortunately, doesn’t have too many that are surplus to requirements for the 2024/25 campaign.
Here, however, we look at those players who face a considerable challenge to get match minutes this season.
Brad Collins
The arrival of Oliver Dovin appeared to signal that the writing was on the wall for one of City’s two remaining senior goalkeepers following the departure of third choice Simon Moore to Sunderland on a free transfer. Although Robins maintained he was happy to go with three stoppers for the season ahead, the start of the season has seen Collins slip out of the picture with Dovin the manager’s clear first choice and Ben Wilson being named as the regular back-up from the bench. Wilson has also been picked to play in the Carabao Cup, with Collins on the bench – the only time he has featured in the matchday squads so far this term.
It had been understood that the club would be open to offers for the former Chelsea prospect who only signed for City from Barnsley 12 months ago, but nothing materialised by last Friday’s transfer window deadline and the 27-year-old remains on City’s books with little prospect of getting a game any time soon. Certainly, unless Dovin or Wilson suffer a dramatic loss of form, pick up an injury or are suspended, it doesn’t appear that Collins will get much of a look-in.
All he can do is get his head down and work hard in training and hope that he can work his way back onto the bench, in the first instance, but the most likely scenario is that he will get to January and see if he can get a move.
The 23-year-old striker had been on League One Reading’s radar for a loan ahead of transfer deadline day, with Mark Robins seemingly ready to let him go out and get game time. When it didn’t materialise, however, he insisted he was ‘happy’ that the player stayed in the Sky Blues fold, with the caveat that he clearly wants more from Tavares. He said, speaking in general terms, that players “have got to perform and be ready to go,” to get in his team and play a part.
The young Portuguese talent has shown glimpses of what he can do, not least on the Wembley stage when he helped turn around City’s fortunes when they were trailing 3-0 to Manchester United. Unfortunately for the forward, he picked up an injury in the latter stages of that game which prevented him from kicking on in the following few games.
As for this season, although he’s well down the pecking order and not even guaranteed a place on the bench when everyone is fit, Tavares could force his way back into favour if he works hard and shows the right attitude in training. Failing that, a January move – either loan or permanent – will be on the cards.
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