Frank Lampard handed big Coventry City boost - Brentford and Burnley advances were rightly shunned | OneFootball

Coventry City resisted much interest to keep hold of the centre-back

Coventry City have bounced back from defeat in the Championship play-off semi-finals to start their 2025/26 campaign in fine form.

Frank Lampard’s side have picked up eight points from their opening four games, enjoying blockbuster wins over Derby County (5-3) and QPR (7-1) in that period.

There was a focus on quality over quantity during the Sky Blues’ summer window, with Frank Lampard adding just four players to his ranks whilst kissing goodbye to the likes of Luis Binks, Ben Sheaf and Norman Bassette.

Extensive talk surrounded a host of Coventry’s players with a move away from the CBS Arena, especially regarding defenders Milan van Ewijk and Bobby Thomas.

The former had been linked with a switch to German outfit Wolfsburg; however the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement over the final terms of the deal, which ultimately scuppered any chances of the Dutchman leaving Coventry.

Keeping Van Ewijk has been a massive coup for Lampard, but it could be argued that holding onto Thomas’ services may be even more important.

Coventry City will relish keeping Bobby Thomas at the CBS Arena

There was extensive interest in Thomas throughout the summer window, and it seemed at times almost inevitable that he would exit Coventry City.

Burnley and Brentford were both reportedly keeping tabs on the centre-back all the way up until deadline day, which would’ve presented him with an attractive move to the Premier League.

Sheffield United had been rumoured to have lodged a mammoth £8 million bid for Thomas, in an attempt to replace Anel Ahmedhodzic.

However, nothing materialised, and Coventry have retained the defender’s services for the 2025/26 campaign.

This is a huge plus for the Sky Blues, as his presence in Lampard’s backline would’ve been sorely missed. Potentially losing Thomas to a division rival in the form of Sheffield United may have made the blow even worse, which makes maintaining his services all the more important.

Following Binks’ exit, Coventry’s defensive department would’ve been left extremely thin if Thomas had also departed, which could’ve cost Lampard and Co. across 46 games.

The 24-year-old has been a crucial component in the Sky Blues’ backline over the past few seasons, making 84 appearances across the last two Championship campaigns and performing at a consistently high level throughout.

His towering presence would’ve been increasingly hard to replace, especially as transfer deadline day crept ever closer and ultimately the risk of cashing in on Thomas outweighed the reward.

Despite not adding too many players to his squad, Lampard will surely view keeping hold of the centre-back as just as important as making any last-minute signings.

Coventry City have all the tools to push for promotion

Coventry shot up the Championship table following Lampard’s arrival at the CBS Arena last term and were within minutes of a penalty shoot-out that could’ve secured their place in the play-off final.

They were cruelly denied that opportunity by Sunderland, but have everything they need to fight for promotion once more this season.

They’ve kept hold of key players such as Thomas and Van Ewijk, whilst adding quality operators in the form of Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Luke Woolfenden.

With a solid defence and an attack that has wasted no time in scoring goals, it’ll be hard to discount Coventry City in the play-off push this campaign.