"Someone like Gus Hamer" - Coventry City: January transfer prediction issued | OneFootball

We spoke to our resident Coventry City pundit to get his take on a concern he has heading into the January transfer window.

Coventry City have surprised fans of the Championship, with the Sky Blues currently languishing in 16th place, just three points above the drop zone.

The poor start to the season saw Mark Robins' seven-year spell in charge end abruptly as he was sacked in early November by Doug King.

This was met by a certain level of outrage by City supporters, who still felt that the 54-year-old was the right man for the job.

However, football doesn't slow down for anyone and a managerless three weeks was finally ended by the appointment of former Chelsea and Derby County boss, Frank Lampard.

Lampard has had a mixed managerial record, with a strong spell at the Rams being met by criticism during his recent time with the Blues and Everton.

His first job will be to guide the Sky Blues to safety, and the January window will provide him with his first opportunity to make an impact on the squad.

With this in mind, Football League World spoke to their resident Coventry pundit, Ryan Murphy, to get his take on a potential fear he has heading into the New Year.

Coventry pundit outlines potential lack of funds issue for January

Posed with the question of what his biggest fear for the Sky Blues is heading into the January window, Murphy said: "My biggest fear heading into the transfer window is how much money we would have readily available to spend and how much clubs will hike up the valuation of their players because nobody wants to lose anyone in January. Getting priced out of targets is a worry, and overspending is a risk we don't want to take.

"As you can see from our league position and performances recently, we just can't get going and are desperate for something to change.

"I definitely see us spending some money, but I would expect us to focus on the loan market, especially with Frank Lampard and his contacts at clubs like Chelsea. So, it's possible we will be high on the priority list for Chelsea to loan some decent young players.

"Realistically, we need a minimum of three players. An experienced head, maybe from the Premier League, could help our young defence. We have some decent defenders, but as a collective, they are crying out for experience as they don't know how to start a game without going behind; we always have to score three or four to get three points these days. Someone like Kyle McFadzean, but a little bit younger, who has the experience to help the younger lads get through important moments in games.

"Elsewhere, we need a central midfielder. Once again, someone with experience would be ideal, as Ben Sheaf gets injured quite a lot. Someone like Gus Hamer, who can grab the game by the scruff of the neck and create things."

Coventry need to handpick targets

January can often determine the course of a season, but even with the current squad Coventry have, they should comfortably avoid relegation from the Championship.

This means if the player isn't available for a price they deem acceptable, then they should not pursue it as it isn't worth overspending.

As detailed by Murphy, there are plenty of positions for Lampard's consideration, but holding on to the summer may free up funds to secure better deals in the future.

Of course, this may be dependent on departures, so it is impossible to rule out big transfers. However, keeping the core group together and targeting an improved 2025-26 may be Lampard's best option.