Coventry City told to swerve Brighton transfer - 'I don’t mean to be harsh' | OneFootball

Coventry City are among a host of clubs interested in Solly March, who will leave Brighton on a free transfer when his contract expires this summer.

Coventry City are back in the Premier League, with Frank Lampard and the recruitment team working on strengthening the squad.

The jump up from the Championship is a considerable one, so it’s a tough task facing the Sky Blues, particularly as they don’t want to lose the togetherness and spirit that helped them win promotion.

So, it will be interesting to see what business Coventry can do in the coming weeks and months, and there’s no doubt that Lampard will be targeting Premier League experience to help a group that lacks that top flight know-how on the whole.

Coventry told to avoid move for Brighton’s Solly March

One player who fits the bill in that sense is Solly March, with reports claiming Coventry are among a host of clubs who are tracking the 31-year-old.

The versatile winger is set to leave Brighton in the coming weeks when his contract expires, which comes on the back of a frustrating few years, where he suffered two ACL injuries, and some other issues.

Prior to that, March had been a key figure for the Seagulls, but he is now on the lookout for a new club, and, if he could get anywhere near those previous levels, it would be a major coup for Coventry.

Yet, the risk of this deal is obvious, as March may not be the same player, and the fact he has made just 19 league appearances in the past three seasons is a major concern.

And, when asked by FLW about the prospect of signing March, Coventry fan pundit Chris Deez made it clear that whilst his experience could be beneficial, they can’t justify the financial outlay for someone who has suffered so much with injuries recently.

“Our summer activity is going to come down to wages. I’m not expecting March to be one of Brighton’s top earners, but he has been there basically his entire career, and with loyalty, tends to come some financial reward.

“Even as someone who isn’t a top earner, Brighton have been in the Premier League for some time now, so I would imagine he is on up to £50,000 a week.

“He is a very good player, but he has been injured for the best part of three years now. He has barely featured at all since the 2022/23 campaign.

“March was always a tidy player for them, popping up with goals and assists here and there. His Premier League experience would be invaluable, but when we have a low wage budget, it’s not a smart idea to be wasting up to £50,000 a week on a player who hasn’t done much in a few years.

“It’s great to have a player like him in the dressing room, and he can play down either wing or at left-back, but I’d much rather be putting that sort of money towards someone who is more competitive. Put it to someone who will make Jay Dasilva a better left-back, or to take his place.

“The silver lining to signing March is that he is available on a free. It’s always nice to bring in a player of that experience and quality for free.

“But, as much as I like the player and respect him, and I don’t mean to be harsh, but I can’t imagine there are too many teams looking to sign a player who will be 32 by the time the season starts, who has barely kicked a ball for a quarter of his career.”

Coventry can’t afford to get much wrong in this crucial summer transfer window

This is a very difficult potential deal to judge, as if March does stay fit and play regularly, it would look like an inspired transfer in 12 months time. Equally so, if he picks up another injury, the club would be criticised for signing him in the first place.

So, you’d have to trust Coventry, or any other club, if they sign March having conducted thorough medical checks, and, from the perspective of the player, it would be great to see him back playing, as he was doing so well for Brighton a few years ago.

For Coventry, this is a window where they must get almost everything right. As outlined above, the gap between the top two divisions is massive, and if the Midlands outfit are to have a successful season, they need to have an excellent window.

Sunderland have shown it’s possible to handle the step up, and it will be intriguing to see what approach Coventry take, and whether they do finalise a deal for March.