sad news ;4players has been expearl From Coventry City :sée more..
Coventry City spent an awful lot of money in the summer transfer window to bolster their squad following the departures of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, but Mark Robins’ side is yet to really gel with a third of the 2023-24 season now gone.
What all the new incomings at the Coventry Building Society Arena mean though is that not many of the Sky Blues squad have contracts that expire in the summer of 2024.
There are some players however whose deals are close to their expiry date in June – let’s take a look at those four players and see whether they are deserving of a new deal at the Midlands outfit.
With Hamer and Gyokeres departed earlier this year, O’Hare is now undisputedly the biggest fans favourites left at the club, and his return to action last month was much needed.
he attacking midfielder endured some horrific luck during the 2022-23 season, starting it on the sidelines with a hamstring injury and then after just 11 appearances, O’Hare suffered an ACL injury which abruptly ended his campaign.
In 2022, O’Hare was being touted with a move to Burnley, with Vincent Kompany said to be a massive fan of his talents, and whilst the first injury he suffered that year saw any potential switch fall through, the serious knee injury could have been one that set back the ex-Aston Villa man’s career.
Since his return to fitness, Coventry’s number 10 has appeared four times off the bench as Robins eases him back into action, and understandably he is yet to make a full impact on matches.
When it comes to a contract extension for the 25-year-old though, it is somewhat of a no-brainer that Coventry should and will be offering O’Hare terms – whether he accepts them though is another matter.
There’s a chance that O’Hare could put himself in the shop window before January, but Doug King will definitely be trying to keep the maestro at all costs.
A real Coventry stalwart since his arrival in 2017, Kelly keeps things ticking over in midfield when he does play, but fitness in the last few years has been a real issue.
Kelly has played just 29 times in the Championship in the last two seasons, with different setbacks meaning he’s spent a lot of time on the sidelines, and a hamstring issue picked up earlier this season saw the veteran ruled out for a month.
The 33-year-old has already appeared eight times though in the Championship this season, so that in itself is progress and he remains a decent back-up option.
However, by the time the summer of 2024 comes around, Kelly will be 34 years of age, and with Coventry wanting to be around the top six, they may need to move him on for next season.
Regrettably, Kelly probably shouldn’t be getting a new contract for 2024-25, but Robins may want to keep him round for experience.
When Coventry were promoted from League One in 2020, many wouldn’t have thought that over three years later, McFadzean would still be at the heart of their defence at the age of 36.
The Sheffield-born centre-back has been a rock though for the Sky Blues since his arrival from Burton Albion in 2019, and he has rarely let the club down over the years.
However, there have been a few signs that the experienced defender may have lost a step or two whilst Coventry have been struggling in the last couple of months, and there’s more competition than ever with four new centre-backs signed in the summer window.
Coventry need to wait to see how McFadzean performs for the rest of the season, but he may be worth one more year – only as a back-up option though from 2024 onwards.
Moore started last season as the first-choice goalkeeper at the CBS Arena, but he was dropped just a few games later and Ben Wilson replaced him.
The rest was history as Wilson became the Championship’s Golden Glove winner for 2022-23 and Moore did not get a look-in for the remainder of the campaign, and he’s now even third choice behind Brad Collins as well.
If Moore is happy with that standing, then he could be offered a new deal on reduced terms and that is likely a smart thing for Coventry to offer, but if he wants to try and find regular game-time at the age of 34 from next season, then the Sky Blues will likely let him go.
