Should Coventry City re-ignite their transfer interest in Birmingham’s Kristian Pedersen in the summer? | OneFootball

Championship side Coventry City were interested in a move for Birmingham City defender Kristian Pedersen back in January, according to a report from Football Insider.

As per this same report though, they weren’t the only side in the race for him with Premier League outfit Burnley and the Sky Blues’ league rivals Nottingham Forest also thought to have held an interest.

However, a move failed to materialise for the Dane who has continued to remain a key figure at St Andrew’s, making 34 league appearances and appearing regularly at left wing-back in recent times for Lee Bowyer’s men.

Quiz: Are these 12 Coventry City facts from this season real or fake?

1 of 12

Coventry played Barnsley on the opening weekend of the 2021/22 campaign

Real Fake

They look set for a finish in the bottom half of the table following their decline after starting the campaign reasonably well, a real source of disappointment for the 27-year-old whose four-year stay in the West Midlands looks set to come to an end this summer with his contract expiring.

And at this stage, it doesn’t look as though he will be signing fresh terms at his current side, potentially opening the door for their West Midlands rivals in Coventry to strike an agreement for his services.

But is it really worth Mark Robins’ men reigniting their interest in the full-back? We take a look at the pros and cons of this potential deal.

First of all, the first thing to address is the depth the second-tier side will have in this position when the summer comes along – and it’s quite clear they need to add more depth with Chelsea loanee Ian Maatsen looking set to head back to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

A fresh deal for the Dutchman is certainly not out of the question with both Ben Chilwell and Marcus Alonso likely to be ahead of the 20-year-old in the pecking order in the English capital again next season.

But with Barcelona said to have been considering a shock move for his services back in December and other clubs likely to be interested in him, the Sky Blues may need to look elsewhere for a left wing-back.

Pedersen fits the bill in that sense, regularly playing as a left wing-back under current boss Bowyer for Birmingham this term and becoming accustomed to that position as he looks set to continue playing in this role from now until the end of the season, barring another injury crisis.

Having nearly four seasons of Championship experience under his belt, managing to stay fit the majority of seasons as he’s recorded 152 league appearances, he would be a reliable option for Robins and would certainly take little time to adapt to life at the CBS Arena as a defender who has become used to both the league and the local area.

Defensively, the Dane is a decent asset to have, winning 55.7% of his duels on average this season, 64.8% of his defensive duels and making over six interceptions per game, the type of record that will enable Robins’ side to be tight at the back next season (wyscout.com).

He’s even played at centre-back multiple times this season in the absence of others – and this could be useful for the Sky Blues who opt to play with a back three and have had to utilise Jake Bidwell in a central role in recent games with their injury problems coming to bite them at this stage.

The absence of Jake Clarke-Salter is a particularly frustrating blow – and Pedersen may have been the man to come in for him if he was plying his trade for Birmingham’s Midlands rivals.

However, it could be argued that this just shows how similar of a player he would be to Bidwell, as someone with vast second-tier experience but probably more suited to playing as a full-back rather than a wing-back.

Recording just one assist and no goals in 34 league matches this term, the 27-year-old doesn’t seem to have the attacking threat needed to be a starting wing-back for the Sky Blues, completing just over one cross, one dribble and 0.91 progressive runs per game this term (wyscout.com).

This is why Coventry need to play Pedersen as a left centre-back, not as a Maatsen replacement because a more attack-minded player will need to come in on the left-hand side even if the Danish defender arrived.

They cannot afford to waste money with the limited budget manager Robins will have at his disposal and even though he’s available on a free transfer, he wouldn’t be worth pursuing if the second-tier outfit’s boss is intending on using him as an attacking player.