Football League World
·29. November 2024
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·29. November 2024
The Sky Blues' boss was asked whether he would approach the Blues for any players during the January transfer window.
New Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has admitted that he's had some good experiences with loan players from Chelsea before, when asked whether he would contact his old side in January to sign some of their players.
Speaking to Coventry Live, however, the former England international also stated that anyone coming in during the January transfer window would need to have a "really positive" impact on the team.
In the short term though, Lampard is keen to take a look at his current team, and he has plenty of top-quality players to work with when his squad is fit.
In the goalkeeping department, Oliver Dovin was brought in during the summer to compete with Brad Collins and Ben Wilson for a starting spot, giving the Sky Blues options in this area.
Jay Dasilva and Jake Bidwell can play on the left of defence - and both Josh Eccles and Milan van Ewijk can play on the right.
They also have options at centre-back - and have been able to improve their winger options in the past couple of years - with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto and Ephron Mason-Clark both able to be assets out wide.
Their wing department could benefit from having another wide natural option, depending on the formation that Lampard plays, but there's certainly no need to improve their striker options, considering they have Ellis Simms, Haji Wright, Brandon Thomas-Asante and Norman Bassette as options there, along with Fabio Tavares.
Their central midfield department, however, could benefit from some work, even with Eccles, Victor Torp, Ben Sheaf and Jack Rudoni available as options.
Plenty of moves were made in the summer though - with the club paying fees to bring in the likes of Jack Rudoni and Brandon Thomas-Asante from Huddersfield Town and West Bromwich Albion - and it remains to be seen what funds are available for this winter.
Lampard did speak about the January window, but at this stage, he is focused on his current set of players.
When asked whether he could look to Chelsea for potential loan signings in January, the ex-Blues midfielder said: "It’s not that simple but I see your point, and I have had a good experience with youngsters at Chelsea.
"But some periods are different to others and if a player comes then they have to affect us in a really positive way, so of course that’s work to be done.
"We have had some conversations, but absolutely it’s not my priority. I think we have got enough games in the meantime and this squad is strong enough in the meantime to work with what we have got.
"And of course, when January comes and we have a joined up conversation, we’ll make those decisions, but it certainly hasn’t been anywhere near the top of the list in our conversations so far."
The Sky Blues will need to weigh up whether to make some moves in the market, and if so, how many.
Clearly, quite a few departments already have a decent amount of depth.
But their central midfield and wing departments could be ones to look at, though Lampard will need to assess his current squad first.
Lampard doesn't just need to look at his depth, but also the quality of his starters.
He may feel that he needs to add a couple of players to his starting lineup to suit his style - and those additions could maximise his chances of being a success at the Coventry Building Society Arena.