'Big' Coventry City signing continues to struggle under Frank Lampard - "I feel bad for him" | OneFootball

Kaine Kesler-Hayden hasn't featured as much as he would've expected at Coventry City following his arrival last summer.

Coventry City have had a fantastic season so far under Frank Lampard, and there will be a firm belief that they will be playing Premier League football in August.

Of course, they still have work to do to finish the job, but the Sky Blues are a formidable outfit at this level, with Lampard building a team that can mix it up and win in different ways.

As we know, successful teams are not just talented, and Lampard has carried on from Mark Robins in ensuring there is a collective spirit at Coventry in terms of the relationship with the fans and the togetherness of the team.

Kaine Kesler-Hayden facing uncertain Coventry City future

Therefore, with all the players pulling in the same direction, and the team generally picking up positive results, Coventry is a happy place to be right now.

But, there are always some individuals who will be disappointed at their own personal situation, and when FLW asked Coventry fan pundit Chris Deez which player that might be, he identified Kaine Kesler-Hayden, although he was quick to express sympathy for the right-back given how the summer worked out for him.

“When you see videos of Coventry, whether it’s on the pitch or in training, there’s a really good feel among the squad, a good vibe and friendship, and you can tell how much the players want to play for each other, and for the manager. They’re always in good spirits, and it’s beautiful to see," Chris told FLW.

“Everyone wants to be a part of this, and help push the club forward. But, there’s one player who isn’t really getting a chance to, and it’s Kesler-Hayden, and I feel really bad for the lad.

“He was a big signing, I think it was £4m from Aston Villa. He’d won Player of the Year at Preston last season, so I was excited. He was brought in to replace Milan van Ewijk, when it felt inevitable he would leave as there was so much interest from clubs in Turkey and it seemed like Wolfsburg had it signed and sealed.

“Yet, for whatever reason, he didn’t move on, and that meant Kesler-Hayden’s chances have been limited. As I say, I feel bad for him. I would’ve handled it differently if I was Lampard, and I think other fans have said the same. We’ve had some struggles at left-back, and as good as Jay Dasilva has been at times, we’ve had issues there.

“Kesler-Hayden can play there, so I would’ve given him some opportunities there, or brought him on as a winger a bit more often.

“He’ll be a great player to have at our disposal if we get promoted, as Van Ewijk could still leave. The offers will be higher (than last summer), and we could get £15m-20m for him which would be incredible.

“Then, I’d like to think Kesler-Hayden could step in, but he has barely played this season, so would he be able to step up and be a Premier League right-back? I don’t know.

"It’s a really tough situation for everyone involved. I don’t think he is desperate to move away, but teams will be interested and we obviously can’t lose them both. So, it’s a delicate situation and I’m not sure how the club will handle it going forward.”

Kaine Kesler-Hayden will surely want regular football next season - that will have to be away from Coventry City

As outlined above, Kesler-Hayden joined the club at a time when it was widely expected Van Ewijk would depart, so it seemed sensible succession planning from the Sky Blues.

Obviously, the Dutchman staying was a major positive, and as arguably the standout right-back in the division, Lampard was always going to play him when he was available.

So, you do have sympathy for Kesler-Hayden, and it should be said that he has still contributed to putting Coventry in the position they find themselves.

But, most would agree that he is likely to be frustrated by the lack of game time, and, at 23, he will not want to spend another season on the bench.

It will be a discussion for the summer, but if van Ewijk does stick around, it would be no surprise at all if Kesler-Hayden did leave Coventry. It would be a shame if his time with the Sky Blues did end like that, but Kesler-Hayden needs to put his own career first, and he has proven himself to be a very good player by Championship standards, so there would surely be plenty of suitors if he was available.