Coventry City & Ipswich Town must try hijack Celtic deal for £10.1m star | OneFootball

Coventry and Ipswich should look to challenge Celtic, Brentford, and Sunderland's move for Schalke's Soufiane El-Faouzi

Coventry City and Ipswich Town are awaiting to see who will be joining them in the Premier League, and who they will be replacing in the top flight next campaign, as the summer transfer window beckons for both clubs.

Coventry and Ipswich went up in first and second place in the EFL Championship, with the pair proving they were better than the rest in the end.

Frank Lampard has done an incredible job at the CBS Arena since taking charge in November 2024, whilst McKenna has secured the Tractor Boys' third promotion in just four years.

Both will be keen to cement their sides' place in the top flight next campaign, and with the summer window presenting a huge opportunity to improve areas of weakness, Coventry and Ipswich mustn't take it for granted.

The rumour mill will begin to speed up the further we progress into the window, and as both Lampard and McKenna begin to draw up their shortlists for the summer, they should be looking to challenge Celtic and two Premier League rivals to Schalke's midfield sensation.

Coventry and Ipswich should target moves for Schalke's Soufiane El-Faouzi

Both Lampard and McKenna will be well aware that they must look to upgrade their squads heading into the summer, and work will have long been underway in both Leicestershire and Suffolk to prepare for the coming months.

Sunderland almost revamped their entire squad following promotion under Regis Le Bris to great effect, and whilst their example is certainly not a sure-fire way of securing survival, it could indicate a change in approach from newly-promoted teams moving forward.

Both clubs must be prepared to be ruthless when it comes to moving on and bringing in players, as there is no time for sentiment in the top-flight.

The middle of the park is arguably the most crucial area on the pitch, and whilst both may feel as though they have the required quality already in their ranks to make the step-up, additions shouldn't be counted out, as Coventry and Ipswich should look to challenge the likes of Celtic, Brentford, and Sunderland for the signature of Schalke midfielder Soufiane El-Faouzi.

Born and raised in Germany of Moroccan descent, El-Faouzi progressed through the lower reaches of the German game in the second sides of Paderborn and Fortuna Dusselfdorf, before joining Schalke this summer, where, under former Plymouth Argyle boss Miron Muslic, he has helped the Royal Blues return to the Bundesliga.

El-Faouzi has started every single league game for Muslic's side this campaign, such as is his importance to the side, and with two goals and five assists from midfield, has alerted clubs across Europe to his situation.

As per FotMob, the 23-year-old has created 50 chances across 2025/26, including 11 'big chances', which ranks him in the top percentile for players in his position. Whilst some of his passing success leaves a little to be desired, he's a risk-taker in possession, looking to create. Mix that with a sound performance against the ball, where El-Faouzi ranks highly for Duels Won (200), Defensive Contributions (168), Tackles (98), Interceptions (38) and Recoveries (185). He's the type of all-round midfielder clubs in the Premier League need to get by.

As per TEAMtalk, Celtic appear to be the frontrunners for his signature, whilst the likes of Sunderland, Brentford, Bologna, and Stade Rennes are also tracking his services.

With a reported valuation of just €12.5 million (£10.1 million), the German is set to be in high demand this summer, as Coventry and Ipswich should be joining the race.

Coventry and Ipswich should plot Schalke raid for Soufiane El-Faouzi amid European interest

Coventry can boast a midfield of Matt Grimes, Frank Onyeka, Victor Torp, and Josh Eccles, but will almost certainly need to be targeting added quality and depth in that area this summer.

Grimes and Onyeka will probably remain as Lampard's preferred pairing, but the addition of El-Faouzi would certainly shake things up in the middle of the park at the CBS Arena.

Meanwhile, Dan Neil is set to depart from his loan at Ipswich at the end of the month, and though the Englishman is out of contract at Sunderland at the end of the campaign, whether he will sign in Suffolk permanently remains to be seen, whilst the club has yet to decide on whether to sign Jens Cajuste following the end of his loan spell.

This leaves just Jack Taylor and Azor Matusiwa heading into next season, with Cameron Humphreys not expected to play a part in the top flight, as McKenna will almost certainly be looking for midfield reinforcements and should look to target Schalke's El-Faouzi.

Whether he is capable of making the swift jump to the Premier League remains to be seen, but with strong interest from across the continent, Coventry and Ipswich cannot afford to miss out on this potential bargain.