Coventry City could profit on 'criminally underrated' Ellis Simms | OneFootball

FLW's Coventry City fan pundit has shared whether they believe Ellis Simms will remain with the club should they secure promotion

Coventry City have their sights firmly set on promotion to the Premier League this season, with their 2-1 victory over Stoke City, which included a late winner from Jack Rudoni, showing all the earmarks of champions in waiting.

Had you told Coventry fans at the beginning of the season that they would be leading the second-tier table with just 11 games to go, you'd struggle to find any that wouldn't have bitten your hand off for that reality.

Indeed, the Sky Blues have led the way at the summit for the majority of the campaign, and even a run of just two wins in eight league games wasn't enough to shake their confidence, bouncing back emphatically with four wins in their last four.

Middlesbrough, Millwall, Ipswich Town and Hull City follow closely behind, though it looks like it will take a cataclysmic disaster in form to knock them off their feet now.

Like any promoted side, a large reinvestment will need to be put into the side over the summer to prepare the club for the trials and tribulations of Premier League football, and naturally, some players will need to depart to make room for arrivals, with one player being name-dropped as a potential exit from the CBS Arena this summer.

Ellis Simms would likely be a fringe player at Coventry City if they secured promotion to the Premier League, and could leave this summer

25-year-old striker Ellis Simms could potentially be on the move away from the CBS Arena this summer if Coventry are promoted, with his game time with the Sky Blues in major doubt should their Premier League status be confirmed.

Football League World's Coventry fan pundit, Chris, has provided their thoughts on whether they believe that Simms will stay with the club should they earn promotion, or whether he should be moved on in the summer.

Chris said, "It's a bit of a tricky one this, because obviously, you want to draw a line between sentiment and having a squad that's good enough to stay up in the Premier League.

"My heart says keep all of this squad around, apart from a couple of the fringe players in the Premier League, because they're the ones who got us there, and it was a 25-year wait, so these players, this squad, are going to go down as Coventry legends.

"But then, at the same time, we're going to need all the money, all the funds that we can get in the Premier League and I think given how well Simms has done for us over the last couple of seasons, even though he's been inconsistent, his form has been indifferent, there's no reason why we couldn't sell a promotion winning striker for double what we paid.

"We should be able to get at least £6m to £8m for Simms for any Premier League team that gets relegated to the Championship this season or any team coming up. You know, you've got your Birmingham's and your Wrexham's that have got infinite money to spend now.

"I've been a very harsh critic of Ellis Simms, but he's changed my mind this season, and I've become quite a fan of him. He keeps having those purple patches where he really steps up for the team. And even when he's not scoring, he does so much that you don't really notice until you sort of analyse after the game.

"He helps bring other players into the game. He helps bring other players forward. He's a bit of a bully in the box. There's so much more to his game than just scoring goals, and he's criminally underrated.

"So even when he's not scoring goals, he offers so much to the team. Part of me wants to say give him a bit of a chance in the Premier League. He'd be a bit part player. He'd have the odd cameo here and there. I mean, bear in mind, he's played in the Premier League before for Everton, but just didn't make much of an impact back then.

"Since then, he's had a few years with us. He's clearly improved his game. We saw how well he played against Man United in the FA Cup when we should have got to the final, but we were cheated out of a spot at Wembley.

"I think he's been a really good servant for us. We need to really take stock if we go up. I don't think he'll have tons and tons of admirers. I don't think there's going to be a queue of teams lining up to sign him, but I do think he could still do a really good job at the top end of the Championship for someone.

Ellis Simms has proven to be a solid option for Frank Lampard, though he could be on the verge of an exit this summer

Signed from Everton in the summer of 2023 for an initial £3.5 million, potentially rising to £5 million, following the sale of Viktor Gyokeres to Sporting CP, Simms has never been especially prolific for Coventry, though he brings more than just goals to the side.

The Everton academy graduate has just 37 goals and eight assists in 134 games for the Sky Blues across all competitions, outshone largely by USMNT forward Haji Wright in that department.

However, his physical presence up top has meant that players surrounding him have been allowed to thrive instead, as there is more than meets the eye when it comes to Simms.

Though with just ten starts in 32 Championship appearances this season, he is firmly second in the pecking order behind Wright, and should Coventry indeed earn promotion, they may look for an upgrade up top.

He has appeared in the Premier League before and even netted for Everton, though his ability to cut it at the very top level is in doubt, as should he want to earn some more game time, he could well be moved on this summer.