West Brom man issues "one of the best" claim on Coventry City player despite Frank Lampard snub | OneFootball

Jed Wallace feels that Coventry's new full-back arrival was one of the top performers in his position last season

West Bromwich Albion captain Jed Wallace has claimed that Coventry City's Kaine Kesler-Hayden was "one of the best full-backs" in the Championship last season.

The former Aston Villa youngster spent last year on loan at Preston North End, and in what was a tough, disappointing season for Paul Heckingbottom's side, the 22-year-old shone in what was a breakout Championship season.

This summer saw him secure a move to Coventry for a fee reported to be around £3.5 million. Many touted him as the Milan van Ewijk replacement, after the Dutchman looked set for a move to Wolfsburg after an impressive campaign last term.

The 25-year-old ended up staying at the CBS Arena, and thus Kesler-Hayden hasn't had as much game time as once thought.

However, the Baggies captain doesn't see this as a bad thing and feels that strong squad depth is what a side like Coventry needs to be up near the top of the Championship.

Jed Wallace makes bold Kaine Kesler-Hayden statement from his Preston North End stint

Speaking on the latest episode of the NTT20 podcast, Wallace joined Ali Maxwell to discuss the weekend's Championship action, which included another impressive Coventry performance against Birmingham City.

He praised the core of the group and the "firepower" they have across the squad and even on the bench, where he believes one of the best full-backs in the division last season is currently sitting.

"That's a group now who have been together for quite a while, the main core of the group," Wallace said on Coventry's side.

"I felt at the start of the season that they'd be there or thereabouts, to be honest. They've got a lot of power, and they're very physical when you look at the likes of [Haji] Wright, [Ellis] Simms, [Brandon] Thomas-Asante, [Jack] Rudoni and Van Ewijk, a very strong, powerful team.

"A lot of pace as well. Kesler-Hayden, another who really impressed me last season, is probably for me one of the best full-backs in the league."

Ultimately, having quality squad depth is necessary to compete over a long Championship season, and despite only playing just over half an hour of second-tier action this year, someone like Kesler-Hayden will be extremely important for Frank Lampard over the current campaign.

Wallace agrees, saying, "They've had a group of players who have been there for a while, and they've added quality along the way, so I'm not surprised as to where they are.

"Their bench looks strong, which is important across the season, and they have three or four who feel they could hit double figures in terms of goals."

Kaine Kesler-Hayden has had to bide his time at Coventry City so far

Ultimately, Van Ewijk's retention has meant that Kesler-Hayden has had to wait in the wings for his chance in the Coventry side, with his two starts so far coming solely in the EFL Cup.

It's been a tough opening month for the 22-year-old, who was a regular in the Preston starting 11 last season, and perhaps saw this move as a chance to test himself in a more competitive Championship squad.

Unfortunately, those chances haven't come just yet, but there's no doubting that when they do, Kesler-Hayden will show why Coventry spent a decent amount to bring him in ahead of other interested second-tier sides.

As Wallace stated, a strong bench is necessary to compete at this level, and to have a full-back who'd likely start for the other 23 Championship sides as your back-up can only be a positive thing for Frank Lampard.