Coventry City told £10m man could be ideal Liam Kitching replacement - 'He has to go' | OneFootball

Coventry City have been urged to spend £10 million on a very capable defender but only after selling a mainstay of the Championship winning team...

Coventry City are a Premier League club after winning the Championship, which means their recruitment will reflect that this summer and the transfer rumours have already started for Frank Lampard's side.

As Leeds United and Sunderland have proven, plenty of signings are required to bridge the gap and have a chance of staying up. Even if Frank Lampard is confident some players can make the grade at Premier League level.

The likes of Milan van Ewijk and Jack Rudoni have to be supplemented with a higher calibre of player, which is why a player with UEFA Champions League experience has been linked to Coventry City in recent days.

Coventry have been linked to Kevin Mac Allister of Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. The defender is the older brother of Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister and he has been plying his trade in Belgium since July 2023.

The Coventry City verdict on signing Kevin Mac Allister

FLW asked our Coventry fan pundit Chris had his say on the defender. We asked him for his thoughts, if reports are to be believed, about the fact Coventry are one of the clubs interested in one-cap Argentina international centre-back Mac Allister, currently at Union Saint Gilloise in Belgium.

We stated that Bobby Thomas and Liam Kitching forged a strong partnership at the back for Cov in the Championship, but are potential additions like Mac Allister going to be needed to keep his side in the Premier League? And also if he would be keen to see Mac Allister arrive at the CBS this summer.

He said: "I would very much like to see Kevin Mac Allister at the CBS next season. I think he is exactly the kind of signing we need to be looking at.

"He's rumoured to be around the £10 million, which is where we're probably going to be looking at. In terms of incomings, I don't think we're going to be signing multiple £20 million players. I think we're going to need to bring in at least three or four in and around the £10 million valuation.

"Look, I'm not going to pretend to be some sort of expert on Mac Allister. I've obviously looked him up in the last few days since we've been linked with him and he looks like a very capable defender.

"He spent a fair few years in his home country in Argentina and was really rated at Argentinos Juniors. He seemed to be putting in pretty consistent and high-rated performances for them. Since he's gone over to Belgium, he's been an absolute star for Union SG."

Coventry City urged to cash in on Liam Kitching

On the current centre-back pairing for Coventry, Chris added: "Liam Kitching has to go, I'm sorry. I'm not sure, though. We might keep him as a back up but he's in no way, shape, or form good enough for the Premier League.

"He started off the season, alongside Bobby [Thomas], incredibly well. Those first three or months were brilliant and they were rock solid together. We were quite a tight-knit defensive unit.

"But everything after that went quite downhill. Mistake after mistake after mistake meant he ended up getting replaced, pretty much long-term, by [Joel] Latibeaudiere — who stepped up and has been absolutely incredible.

"He came from being our fourth-choice at centre-back to being one of the absolute first names on the teamsheet. Kitching is incredibly prone to making mistakes.

"His passing is abysmal nine times out of 10. The only reason he has started to look like a better defender is since Frank Onyeka came in. That's the exact reason Onyeka was brought in to shore up the defence.

"But also to plug those gaps and to give those defenders a bit more confidence. Liam Kitching is not a very good defender. I have no interest in him being here next season. I think he's a top end Championship defender or maybe even a mid-table Championship player at most."