Coventry City urged to green-light potential '£10m' Wolves deal | OneFootball

Ellis Simms has already been linked with a return to the Championship this summer

Coventry City and Wolverhampton Wanderers are preparing to officially swap places in the English football pyramid for the 2026/27 campaign as a result of the differing recent fortunes at the CBS Arena and Molineux respectively.

Indeed, after two near misses in the Championship play-offs in 2023 and 2025, the Sky Blues made it 'third time lucky' as far as a return to the Premier League was concerned, with Frank Lampard guiding the club to the title in his first full season in CV6.

Wanderers, meanwhile, saw their unwanted return to the Championship for the first time since 2018 nailed on for much of the season, having had to wait until January for their first of just three league wins after Rob Edwards replaced Vitor Pereira in November.

It is a critical upcoming summer transfer window for both West Midlands clubs as they look to achieve their well-documented aims.

From a Wolves perspective, relegation has seen several high-profile names and big earners already linked with moves away from WV1, but at the same time, some intriguing links have also emerged on the incomings front.

As well as a 'verbal agreement' with Kieran Trippier coming to light, it has been reported by the Telegraph that they are monitoring the situations of Jordan James and Ellis Simms, with the latter spending the past three years with Coventry.

As such, Football League World's Sky Blues fan pundit, Chris Deez, has issued the fee he believes Coventry could command for the 25-year-old.

Coventry City urged to consider eight-figure fee as Wolves plot Ellis Simms transfer raid

The striker joined City from Everton on a four-year deal in 2023 alongside USMNT international and club-record signing, Haji Wright, following the hefty fees which came into the club's coffers after the sales of Gus Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres.

Whilst there were mixed reports of how much money Coventry parted with to secure Simms' services, the reception which he has earned from supporters in that timeframe has also been split, with an overall record of 40 goals and eight assists in 145 games.

However, with a previous record of one goal in 12 Premier League games with the Toffees, Deez admits that it is a shame if Simms was to move on, but backs the club to strike an eight-figure deal in order for him to potentially succeed in the second tier with Wolves.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'd actually be quite sad to see Ellis Simms leave," he told FLW.

"I think it's pretty much nailed on that he's going to. I don't think Frank (Lampard) sees him as a Premier League player. It didn't work at Everton.

"For the next couple of years, I think he'll be a very solid Championship player," Deez claimed.

"I'll miss him, because he turned it around for me, and I wish he had the ability to match his effort and output.

"He tries so hard, and we saw that towards the end of the season, especially with the final-day hat-trick at Watford.

"There's absolutely a player in there, but he's just not consistent enough, which is a pity really, because he works so hard, runs for the ball, works for the ball.

"He's the complete opposite to Haji Wright," he stated. "I say that if you could put them together, you'd have the perfect striker.

"I think he'd be a really good signing for Wolves if it happened. I think we paid around £5m, and he's now a Championship-winning striker, so I can't see why we couldn't ask for maybe between £8m- £10m," our fan pundit continued.

"Wolves will want to spend money to try and get back to the Premier League, and they signed Adam Armstrong not too long ago.

"Pair him with Simms, and I think they could complement each other really well.

"Simms has scored 32 goals in the league in the past three seasons, which doesn't sound mind-blowing, but considering how many games he's started on the bench, that isn't too bad," said Deez.

"I'd potentially even explore a swap deal, as Wolves have plenty of good players who could still cut it in the Premier League.

"Depending on the Rushworth situation, I'd look at Jose Sa, who has bags of experience and would be an incredible signing.

"That's all 'ifs and buts'. If Wolves are interested in Simms, I would ask them to start at around £10m, but maybe a player-plus-cash or a straight swap.

"I think it could be really beneficial for all parties, as we're going to need a few players on for decent fees if we want to bring in any real quality in the Premier League.

"It could be a fantastic move for Wolves and Simms."

Adam Armstrong and Ellis Simms could bring plenty of Championship goals for Wolves

As Deez alluded to, a partnership of Simms and Armstrong could be a mouth-watering prospect in the Championship for the Molineux outfit, as they boast plenty of firepower and experience in the division.

Simms netted 13 times in the league this season for Coventry, whilst Armstrong's overall record of 91 goals in 277 outings in the division speaks for itself, with plenty of those coming for Southampton prior to his £7m transfer move in February.

It also remains to be seen what the future holds for Hee-Chan Hwang, as well as how much gametime Tolu Arokodare earns in his second season at the club, with Wolves paying £24m to KRC Genk last summer for the 25-year-old.