"Underwhelmed" - EFL pundit concerned by "weak" Coventry City transfer situation | OneFootball

Adrian Clarke has given his view on Coventry City's summer recruitment after another poor start to the season for the Sky Blues.

Pundit Adrian Clarke admits he was disappointed by Coventry City's recruitment this summer and the fact they did not replace either Callum O'Hare or Kasey Palmer.

The Sky Blues missed out on the play-offs last season as they finished ninth in the table, but it was still a positive campaign for Mark Robins' side as they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup, where they were beaten on penalties by Manchester United.

Coventry are widely expected to challenge for promotion this season in the Championship, and it was a busy summer at the CBS Arena with five new signings arriving, while defender Luis Binks completed a permanent move from Bologna after his successful loan spell.

Although the transfer window has now closed, the Sky Blues could be set to make one further addition, with journalist Tom Collomosse claiming that they are considering a move for free agent Matty James, who had a loan spell at the club during the second half of the 2020-21 season, to provide extra cover in midfield during Ben Sheaf's injury absence.

Coventry did strengthen their squad this summer, but they once again lost some of their key players, with O'Hare turning down the offer of a new contract to join Sheffield United and Palmer completing a deadline day move to Hull City, while the likes of Simon Moore, Liam Kelly and Matty Godden also departed during the course of the window.

On the pitch, it has been another slow start to a season for the Sky Blues, and they head into the international break sitting 17th in the table after picking up just four points from their opening four games.

Coventry were beaten 1-0 at home by Norwich City on Saturday, with Borja Sainz's 49th-minute strike sealing all three points for the Canaries, and after the game, Robins warned supporters to manage their expectations, insisting that it will take time for his team to be able to perform consistently.

Adrian Clarke on Coventry City's summer recruitment

While Clarke believes that Coventry do still have a strong squad that is capable of challenging for promotion this season, he said he was underwhelmed by their summer transfer business, and he questioned why they did not replace O'Hare or Palmer.

"O'Hare and Palmer going, the two number 10s, is a real blow," Clarke said on the What The EFL?! podcast.

"They were jostling for that position this time last year or throughout the campaign really.

"I'm just looking at it and feeling a bit underwhelmed really.

"Jack Rudoni from Huddersfield has got potential, Brandon Thomas-Asante is another one, but neither have made a tremendous impact yet. "It was a quiet window for Coventry, it wasn't the kind of window that showed that they are willing to flex their muscles and really have a tilt at promotion this season. "I think the squad is pretty strong, but with a few more quality additions, certainly players to replace O'Hare and Palmer, they can get into the play-offs.

"But I think their business has been a little bit weak."

It is difficult to disagree with Clarke that Coventry did not make the kind of high-profile signings that many were expecting this summer, but it was still a decent window for the Sky Blues.

Robins will have been incredibly disappointed to lose O'Hare, and Palmer's departure so late in the window was a big blow, leaving them with little time to find a replacement, but crucially, they did manage to keep hold of the likes of Sheaf, Ellis Simms and Haji Wright.

Any frustrations among Coventry supporters about recruitment are likely to be heightened by the poor start to the season, but although it is the continuation of a worrying trend that has emerged in recent years, it will surely not be long until Robins' men find their form.

Given the lack of depth in certain areas of the squad, an automatic promotion push looks unlikely this season, but the Sky Blues should certainly be among the play-off contenders.