Frank Lampard dodged major Coventry City bullet - failed Rangers FC deal won’t be rued | OneFootball

The Sky Blues came close to signing Rabbi Matondo on loan from Ibrox with an option to buy last January

Frank Lampard's Coventry City have perhaps been vindicated in their failure to land Rangers winger Rabbi Matondo during last January's transfer window.

The Sky Blues came close to securing the Welsh international on loan from Ibrox, with the deal including a reported £2m buy option to make the move permanent afterwards.

According to Sky Sports News, negotiations between the two clubs ultimately broke down over apparent disagreements regarding bonuses.

Looking back now with Coventry top of the Championship and Matondo yet to feature in competitive action this season, it appears that Lampard's side got away with one.

Frank Lampard remained tight-lipped after Coventry City's Rabbi Matondo deal fell through

What should have been a fairly normal deal seemingly became a complicated affair when Rangers and Coventry City could not find common ground on the financial terms being offered.

The disagreement came at a crucial point in the month when the Manchester City academy product was reportedly the subject of an exit plan to leave Ibrox temporarily.

At the time, the then 24-year-old winger had been limited to six Scottish Premiership appearances under former Coventry midfielder Phillipe Clement.

When asked specifically about Matondo, who would've been his first signing as manager of the club, Lampard said, "I’m not going to speak about that one today. He’s a Rangers player and I think it’s respectful to not speak about that one at this point."

Six days after Lampard said this, Matondo signed for Hannover on loan instead, which included a buy option that never got activated. The forward only managed one goal in ten appearances in Germany's second-tier, with his poor form reportedly criticised by the media.

Rabbi Matondo's injury record vindicates Coventry City decision

What has made Coventry's failure to secure the Rangers winger feel a lot less like a missed opportunity is Matondo's awful injury record - especially since January.

The former Schalke and Stoke City loan player has not featured in competitive action this season at all, remaining sidelined as he continues his recovery from a long-term knee injury with no confirmed timeframe on his return to first-team action.

Although Matondo teased on social media that he was near to playing again in September, that's obviously not happening amy time soon.

In all fairness, for a club like Coventry to bring in a player who has struggled for form and fitness in the past would have represented a considerable risk anyway, and the club would’ve known that. Since moving to Scotland, he's been injured for 304 days as per Tranfermarkt.

Whilst the winger has been restricted to the treatment table, Coventry have established themselves as genuine title contenders under the former Chelsea midfielder's guidance.

Frank Lampard dodged a bullet with Rabbi Matondo at Coventry City

Given that Matondo would’ve been Lampard’s first signing, as mentioned earlier, there’s no doubt the manager could have rushed into signing him by making the club agree to whatever demands Rangers wanted.

Since then, we know Lampard’s been very selective in who he's brought to the club. You could also maybe argue that Jamie Paterson signing until the end of 24/25 in February was because they didn’t sign Matondo. Disregarding Paterson, Lampard has brought five players to the West Midlands across two transfer windows.

Ultimately, the core of the squad inherited from Mark Robins' tenure has been tweaked rather than a full rebuild — and as 25/26 has unfolded, Coventry's attacking options remain very dangerous without the Welshman, with the Sky Blues looking extremely well-placed to achieve promotion this term.

For both Coventry and Lampard, this particular bullet was dodged at exactly the right moment given Matondo’s poor form in Germany - one could bet even Hannover are glad they didn’t activate his buy clause.