Jake Bidwell? The 2 Coventry City players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

Here we have looked at two Coventry City players who need to prove a point in pre-season.

Coventry City will be once again pushing for a place in the top six in the 2024/25 Championship season.

The Sky Blues have become a side in recent seasons that has started to pose a problem for the top six.

Mark Robins has been able to build a side year after year that has competed for a top-six spot despite losing key players during the transfer windows.

Last season was no different, as Coventry saw Gustavo Hamer and Viktor Gyokeres leave in the summer, which meant they had to bring in several replacements.

It took them a bit to get going, but their replacements turned out to be quite successful. It was just the fact that they made a slow start to the season that cost them a play-off spot in the end, as they finished in ninth place, nine adrift of sixth-place Norwich City.

Robins will be keen to make sure they have a good start to the season this time around, and therefore, pre-season will be important in doing just that.

The club will soon be beginning preparations for the new campaign, and as always, pre-season is a chance for players to show what they can do and why they should be playing.

Here, at Football League World, we have picked two Coventry players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk being axed…

Jake Bidwell

Jake Bidwell has been at Coventry City since January 2022, when he joined the club on a free transfer from Swansea City.

The left-back has been an impressive figure in the Championship, as he broke onto the scene at Brentford, really impressing for them before joining QPR, then Swansea, and now the Sky Blues.

Bidwell was a regular player in the starting XI’s at Brentford, QPR, and Swansea before leaving, but at Coventry, it has been a mixed bag for the player.

Bidwell joined Coventry midway through the 2021/22 season but soon became a regular in the team, and that continued in the following season, but in the 2023/24 campaign he found himself in and out of the starting XI.

The left-back featured in 33 Championship games last season, 24 of which came as a starter, as Bidwell lost his place in the team to summer signing Jay Dasilva.

Bidwell was still used by Mark Robins, but it became clear he wasn’t the preferred option in that area of the team.

Now, at the age of 31 and with one year remaining on his contract, Bidwell needs to really impress in this year’s pre-season and prove to Robins that he can be the club’s preferred left-back for the upcoming campaign.

Competition is obviously high, as Dasilva is also at the club, and he will also want to play regularly. However, only one of them can play in that role, and if Bidwell manages to have a strong pre-season, he could potentially win his place back in the team.

If not, Bidwell may face a transfer exit this summer, as the Sky Blues may look at his contract situation and decide that it is best if they move him on before his deal expires, and he leaves for nothing.

Fabio Tavares

Fabio Tavares has been with the Sky Blues since the summer of 2021, when they took the forward away from Rochdale.

Tavares was a young player coming through at Rochdale, and even though he had played 26 games in League One, during which time he had scored just two goals, Coventry decided he would be a player good enough for the future.

However, the forward’s time with Coventry hasn’t been plain sailing, as he’s been limited to just 28 appearances in four seasons.

That is down to injuries the player has picked up and competition in the forward areas of the team.

Now, at the age of 23, it seems like an important time in Tavares’ career in terms of establishing himself as a regular starter.

The striker made a handful of appearances in the league and cup last season and was able to show what he could offer at times.

But it wasn’t enough for him to be considered more regularly, but this 2024/25 pre-season is a chance the young striker has in terms of proving to Mark Robins that he can be a player who can be considered to lead Coventry’s frontline.

Tavares has just one year remaining on his contract, so you feel that if he can’t show and prove he belongs in the first team more regularly, then he could potentially be moved on by the club.

The Sky Blues will potentially weigh up the situation, and if they don’t plan to have him in their squad, they could look to offload him before he leaves for nothing in 12 months. Either way, this pre-season is very important for Tavares and what happens next in his career.