Coventry City Face Substantial Competition For Defender | OneFootball

Matthew Lewis/Getty Images

Coventry City face competition from a host of clubs for Montreal’s young full-back Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, who is keen on a move to Europe.

Frank Lampard did manage to get Coventry to the Championship playoffs last season, but they eventually fell short to Sunderland.

This time, they want to go one step further and efforts are being made to adequately equip the manager for the job before the transfer window closes.

Defence is an area which has been picked as one needing particular improvement and multiple options are being explored.

The Sky Blues have attempted to land Luke Woolfenden from Ipswich Town already, but have come away empty-handed.

Coventry are now looking to the MLS for a potential addition to the backline, with Montreal’s Marshall-Rutty firmly on the radar.

They are keen on the 21-year-old, according to Italian journalist Rudy Galetti, but Premier League side Burnley are also interested.

Spanish La Liga club Villarreal and German Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg are also keeping a close eye on the right-back’s situation.

Marshall-Rutty does see a future move over to Europe as being an important step in his career.

However, whether he prefers a Championship club over others who play in a top-flight remains to be seen.

Marshall-Rutty is currently on loan from Montreal at fellow MLS side Charlotte FC, where he plays under former Aston Villa and Norwich City boss Dean Smith.

Smith has been in charge of the MLS club since 2023 and led the club into the MLS Cup playoffs last year.

While Coventry are targeting incomings, they also want to keep hold of their key players .