Coventry City might have to break 25-year curse to land multi-million pound transfer | OneFootball

Charlie Hughes pursuit shows Coventry City’s Premier League ambition

After years of uncertainty, exile and mid-table anonymity, Coventry City are a club transformed.

The Sky Blues may have missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season after falling heartbreakingly late in the play-off semi-finals, but under Frank Lampard, the club is moving with serious intent.

That intent is perhaps best illustrated by the audacious attempt to sign Hull City’s Charlie Hughes - a 21-year-old centre-back tipped for the top and, crucially, not currently for sale.

Coventry’s attempt to lure Hughes from East Yorkshire marks a potential club-record investment, and a bold statement of Premier League ambition - but in trying to land him, they may first need to break a 25-year curse.

Coventry bid big for Hughes - but Hull won't budge

The Sky Blues have reportedly had two bids for Hughes turned down - £4 million and £7 million - before considering a third offer worth £9 million including add-ons.

That figure would eclipse their current record outlay of £7.7 million for Haji Wright, but Hull head coach Sergej Jakirovic has publicly dismissed any suggestion that the defender will be allowed to leave, placing Hughes' value at over £20 million.

This is a high-stakes move, not only in financial terms but also in competitive ambition. Sheffield United are understood to be admirers, and Hull, having already offloaded two senior centre backs this window, are hardly in a rush to lose a third.

Hughes may be young, but his composure, pedigree and physical presence at the back have made him one of the Championship’s most sought-after defensive prospects.

That Coventry are even entering this conversation is a testament to the club's growth. It wasn’t long ago that transfer business was dictated more by necessity than strategy - loan deals and free agents, not record-breaking bids.

The Hughes pursuit, whether it comes off or not, signals a clear shift in approach.

Coventry’s interest in Hughes is not just symbolic - it reflects Frank Lampard’s most pressing challenge. While the Sky Blues finished a credible 5th last season, they did so with the worst defensive record in the Championship’s top half.

Conceding 58 goals, they allowed more than every side above them and all but one of the clubs in the top twelve.

Lampard’s early summer signings have already addressed this. Carl Rushworth has joined in goal, while full-backs Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Miguel Angel Brau add depth and dynamism on the flanks.

Hughes, however, represents the central pillar - the kind of player a manager can build a promotion-winning back line around.

Echoes of Coventry’s last big leap in the Sky Blues’ 25/26 Championship prospects

There is a familiar energy brewing at the CBS Arena - the last time Coventry were promoted to the Premier League was in 2001.

Since then, they’ve endured stadium disputes, financial chaos, League Two football and countless false dawns, but this summer - this transfer window - feels different.

The club’s willingness to back their manager with significant investment, the targeted nature of their recruitment, and the calibre of players they are now pursuing all hint at a side ready to take the next step.

Whether or not Hughes arrives this summer, the intention is clear: Coventry are preparing for promotion, not hoping for it.

If they can tighten up defensively, that aim is entirely realistic. And if not this season, then perhaps the next - by which point, depending on the status of Hull City, Hughes might be available.