A luxury that Mark Robins has” – Pundit issues exciting Coventry City prediction
Former Sheffield Wednesday man Carlton Palmer has tipped Coventry City to go one better than last season, if they can keep hold of their top players.
The Sky Blues narrowly missed out on the top six in the previous campaign, with a poor end to the season seeing them falter at the final hurdle in the race for the end-of-season lottery.
That followed a remarkable run to the FA Cup semi-final, in which they took Manchester United all the way to penalties, having come so close to winning the tie but for a VAR decision to rule out Victor Torp’s potential late winner at Wembley.
The likes of Ben Sheaf, Torp, Haji Wright and Ellis Simms were all influential in that astounding run, and Palmer believes if the nucleus of that squad can be kept together, City boss Mark Robins can lead them to the promised land next season.
Carlton Palmer believes Coventry City have what it takes to reach Championship playoffs if key players are retained
Of all the standout players for the Sky Blues in the previous campaign, none have gathered quite as much transfer interest as Ben Sheaf, with the influential midfielder said to be of interest to a number of Premier League sides this summer.
Top flight new boys Ipswich Town are one of the side’s said to be considering a bid for the £10 million-rated star, while Marco Silva’s Fulham side are also reportedly keeping tabs on the City star.
Sheaf’s presence in the middle of the park was a huge factor in the Midlands side’s impressive showings in the previous campaign, with the former Arsenal man covering every blade of grass during his time on the pitch.
Whether he was breaking up play or creating chances at the other end, Sheaf proved to be a key part of the side that went toe-to-toe with the Red Devils on the hallowed Wembley turf, and the Sky Blues will be doing everything they can to keep hold of him this summer.
Having sold key assets in Viktor Gyokeres and Gus Hamer last summer for a reported combined sum of £35 million, City will be in a stronger position in terms of negotiations this summer, and Palmer believes that can hold them in good stead for the following 12 months.
Speaking exclusively to FLW, Palmer said: “Coventry City are in a really good position for this season, it’s a luxury that Mark Robins has not had for some time.
“There’s some stability in the boardroom with the owners, he’s not had to sell players in the summer that he hasn’t wanted to sell.
