Coventry City transfer news latest: Gus Hamer valuation amid Leeds links, Mark Robins update, deal sealed
We rounded up all the latest transfer news from Coventry City.
It was a disappointing start to the new Championship season for Coventry City.
Despite an excellent performance, the Sky Blues were beaten 2-1 by newly-relegated Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on Sunday.
Kasey Palmer, Ellis Simms and Kyle McFadzean all went close for Coventry in the first half and the visitors took a deserved lead two minutes after the break when McFadzean headed home Gustavo Hamer’s corner.
The Foxes equalised in the 77th minute when Dennis Praet crossed for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to nod in before the hosts completed the comeback with three minutes remaining through Dewsbury-Hall’s curling strike to seal all three points.
It has been an incredibly busy summer for the Sky Blues, with a number of incomings and outgoings.
Coventry have lost star striker Viktor Gyokeres to Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon for a fee close to £20 million, while the likes of Josh Reid, Fankaty Dabo, Julien Dacosta, Todd Kane, Sean Maguire, Michael Rose, Martyn Waghorn and Tyler Walker have also departed.
But Mark Robins has been significantly backed in the transfer market, with Simms, Jay Dasilva, Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Brad Collins, Joel Latibeaudiere, Bobby Thomas, Milan van Ewijk, Luis Binks and Haji Wright all arriving at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
With a month of the window remaining, we rounded up all the latest Sky Blues transfer news.
What is the latest Coventry City transfer news?
Hamer valuation revealed
According to Football Insider, Coventry will demand £12 million for midfielder Hamer this summer.
We exclusively revealed in June that Leeds United were considering an ambitious move for Hamer following their relegation to the Championship and Football Insider claim that the Whites are “monitoring the situation” of the 26-year-old.
Newly-promoted Premier League side Burnley reportedly had an offer of £8 million plus Thomas and Luke McNally for Hamer rejected last month, while Fulham and Nottingham Forest are also said to be keen.
Hamer scored 11 goals and registered 10 assists in 45 appearances in all competitions last season and he got off to a strong start to the new campaign, providing the assist for McFadzean’s goal against Leicester, although he was forced off with a calf injury in the second half.
Coventry are “desperate” to keep hold of Hamer and with just one year remaining on his contract, they “could even be willing to risk losing the midfielder for free in 2024”.
What has Mark Robins said about Gustavo Hamer’s Coventry City future?
Robins has made no secret of his desire to retain Hamer, but he admitted last week that the midfielder’s future is uncertain.
“I think everyone wants him to stay and it’s down to Gus, but at the end of the day he’s a human being and has got his own ideas,” Robins told CoventryLive.
“He’s been brilliant for us. I think, really, we have got to try and keep hold of him if we can but as I have said before, it’s really in his hands.
“We want to keep him, the supporters have made their voices clear today. I don’t know how Gus feels about that but he’s someone who just takes things in his stride and has a really good rapport with them and all the staff and players.
“Whatever happens, if he ends up moving on, it will hurt him for a while, there’s no doubt about that because he will miss it; everything that we have done together. But you have to look and say he has been phenomenal for us for three years and got better and better each season.
“And last season he single-handedly, really, got us into play-off contention and promotion contention, so his performances are incredible. Everyone saw that today when he came on. His quality and energy is something that we crave; we need and should that go then we need to replace that, if that’s what we have to do.
“Again, it’s still all to play for. It’s still up in the air, but that situation needs resolving quickly.”
Robins provides transfer update
After the defeat to the Foxes, Robins revealed that he is keen to bring in more new additions before the closure of the transfer window.
“I think we still need a few more,” Robins told CoventryLive.
“But ultimately we have got Callum O’Hare on the grass and, touch wood, he’ll come back with no issues, so he won’t be too far away.
Jamie Allen and Fabio Tavares are the same, so there’s three more players to come into the squad, but I still think we need a couple.
“That depends on a number of things.
“The backing that I have had on the back of Viktor [Gyokeres] going, and the backing I have had from the influx of capital has been good but we have still got to be careful because the operating costs have got to remain manageable and not spiral out of control, which is a good balancing act.
“And that’s why it’s a case of hats off to Dean Austin and his recruitment department staff because they have worked their socks off.
“Honestly, they have worked so hard over the summer and continue to do so, and the fact that Doug’s [King] backed it is great.”
