£20m Coventry City, Haji Wright claim made -'he is not a top-flight striker' | OneFootball

FLW's Coventry fan pundit hopes that Haji Wright has a good World Cup so he can add a few extra millions onto his price tag this summer

The USMNT announced their squad for the World Cup this summer, and Coventry City's Haji Wright was amongst the striker options.

The 28-year-old missed the majority of their Gold Cup campaign last summer through injury, but was still a regular feature in Mauricio Pochettino's USA squads for international friendlies across the campaign, even scoring a brace in a 2-1 win over Australia in October.

It caps off a successful season for the Coventry man, who was the top scorer in Frank Lampard's Championship-winning side, as he heads off to his second World Cup tournament, but more importantly, this one is in his home nation.

The Sky Blues' record signing was bought in the summer following the World Cup in Qatar in late 2022, and as is the case with any player heading to play on the grandest stage this summer, a good tournament could see them pique the attention of some potential suitors.

With the amount of fanfare that will surround the USMNT this summer at their home tournament, perhaps some good performances could see Wright move on before he makes his Premier League bow at the CBS Arena in August.

Coventry City fan pundit hopes Haji Wright has a good World Cup, as it would increase his transfer value

Wright divides opinion across the Coventry fanbase. Some like him due to his goalscoring output, while others believe that he lacks the energy and effort, which ultimately gets masked by a good scoring record.

Chris Deez, FLW's Sky Blues fan pundit, is of the latter camp and hopes that Wright gets sold this summer, irrespective of how he does in the World Cup. That being said, he wouldn't mind a good showing, as that would increase interest and, ultimately, his transfer fee.

"I am praying that Wright has a good World Cup," he said. "I hope he scores four, five, six goals and puts himself in the shop window more.

"I've clashed heads with so many Coventry fans about him. Even after the season has ended, and his goals have helped us get into the Premier League, imagine how many more he could have scored if he weren't so lazy?

"There's obviously a very good player there, and if the right manager can coach that laziness out of him, he could very easily be a 25-30-goal-a-season striker. I truly believe he has the ability and know-how to score a goal.

"I've always said that if you put him and Ellis Simms together, you'd get the perfect striker. Simms lacks the ability, but he has the hard work, passion and energy, while Wright is the opposite."

Regardless of how Deez feels about the 28-year-old American, he does believe that his goalscoring knack has his value at around £20 million already this summer.

If Wright can grow that over the World Cup, the fan pundit hopes that Coventry will cash in and upgrade elsewhere with the money, as he is clear in his belief that he doesn't think that he is good enough to lead the line for his club in the Premier League.

"I think that we're already looking at £20m for him," Deez continued. "So if he has a good World Cup, perhaps that could push to £25 million, and we could buy a couple of good players with it.

"I don't think he's a Premier League striker, and I think he'd be better off going back abroad; we got him from Turkey, remember? So I'd love to see a Fenerbahçe or a Galatasaray come in for him. I don't see it happening, but I'd love it to happen.

"I'd say thanks for his services, and for being a part of the club at such a pivotal, important, groundbreaking time. He has definitely been a big part of it, but it could have been even bigger!

"I could write a 3,000-word essay on how I feel about Wright, and I'm glad that, as the season went on, more fans started to agree with me. I watch more than enough Premier League football to be able to confidently say that he is not a top-flight striker."

A good World Cup for Haji Wright could see his stock rise higher — Coventry may be powerless to a sale

On the basis of things, it looks like Wright is set to be the third-choice striker for Mauricio Pochettino this summer, with Ricardo Pepi and Folarin Balogun ahead of him and coming off double-digit scoring campaigns in the Eredivisie and Ligue 1, respectively.

However, the 28-year-old still impressed in limited time in Qatar four years ago, getting on the scoresheet off the bench in their eventual exit against the Netherlands in the Round of 16.

If he can have an influence once again off the bench and perhaps even work his way into starting contention, the frontman could definitely catch the eye of some who wouldn't have been paying much attention to the Championship this season.

With double-digit campaigns in front of goal in each of his last five seasons at Coventry and Antalysaspor, plus with him entering his peak age, the Sky Blues may be powerless to make a sale if he excels in the States, Canada and Mexico this summer.