What’s Next For Coventry City’s Callum O’Hare? – Opinion
Since Coventry City’s 2023/24 Championship season came to an end, one question that has remained unanswered is where playmaker Callum O’Hare would be playing his first-team football next season.
The 26-year-old will be a free agent tomorrow (July 1st 2024) and is yet to extend his contract with the Sky Blues amongst interest from various other sides.
Mark Robins’ side have offered O’Hare a second contract offer after the initial one was rejected last month but have wasted no time in securing a replacement in the form of Huddersfield Town’s Jack Rudoni for an undisclosed fee.
After missing the majority of the first half of the campaign, O’Hare returned to make a total of 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing four additional assists.
However, with his future still up in the air, let’s take a look at what the future could hold for the 26-year-old…
The sensible decision
O’Hare missed the start of the season due to his continuation in recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and although he impressed for the Sky Blues, he ended the season behind Jamaican international Kasey Palmer in the pecking order.
Since Coventry City’s 2023/24 Championship season came to an end, one question that has remained unanswered is where playmaker Callum O’Hare would be playing his first-team football next season.
The 26-year-old will be a free agent tomorrow (July 1st 2024) and is yet to extend his contract with the Sky Blues amongst interest from various other s
Mark Robins’ side have offered O’Hare a second contract offer after the initial one was rejected last month but have wasted no time in securing a replacement in the form of Huddersfield Town’s Jack Rudoni for an undisclosed fee.
After missing the majority of the first half of the campaign, O’Hare returned to make a total of 36 appearances in all competitions, scoring ten goals and providing four additional assists.
However, with his future still up in the air, let’s take a look at what the future could hold for the 26-year-old…
The sensible decision
O’Hare missed the start of the season due to his continuation in recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury and although he impressed for the Sky Blues, he ended the season behind Jamaican international Kasey Palmer in the pecking order.
Therefore, with SPFL giants Celtic having been linked with the playmaker, a sensible decision for O’Hare if he wanted a new start would be to join the reigning Scottish champions.
This is because he would greatly increase his chances of winning a league title, something he hasn’t achieved since his debut campaign at Coventry and it could act as a stepping stone to unlock a bigger move in the near future.
The financial decision
It is no secret that players in the Premier League all earn a significant wage that sets them up for life and if O’Hare is thinking about life after football, following former teammate Gustavo Hamer into the top-flight would make sense.
Southampton and Fulham have both been credited with an interest in the 26-year-old and would be able to offer a higher wage than almost all of the rival clubs in the pursuit of the playmaker.
The risk with this is that O’Hare would likely begin as a squad/bench player and would need to maximise his first-team minutes when they arrive to win over the new manager that he could be working under.
The disappointing decision
With Coventry City reaching a play-off final and the FA Cup semi-finals in back-to-back seasons as well as having an offer on the table, the worst decision I believe he could make is opting to sign for another Championship side.
Both Burnley and Leeds United have been linked with the soon-to-be free agent but are both almost certainly going to find themselves competing against the Sky Blues in the battle for promotion next season.
Although on paper, Burnley and Leeds are likely to have a stronger chance of making a Premier League return, O’Hare has become a fan favourite at the CBS Arena and I firmly believe a move to either of those sides would ruin that reputation.
The shock decision
Although Coventry have signed their replacement, the offer to keep O’Hare is still on the table and the shock of all shocks could be that the midfielder opts to stay with Coventry.
