Coventry City hit the jackpot with £7.7m investment - they will have all EFL Championship clubs jealous | OneFootball

Haji Wright has started the campaign in remarkable form for the unbeaten Sky Blues

Coventry City have earned mass praise for their rise up the English football pyramid of late, and that has certainly continued in the opening weeks and months of the 2025/26 campaign.

There has been plenty of focus on developments at the CBS Arena with Frank Lampard currently overseeing matters at the Sky Blues, with the presence of the ex-Chelsea and England midfield icon adding extra baggage to a club desperate to end a quarter of a century-long wait to end its hiatus from the Premier League.

Just 11 months ago, owner Doug King faced plenty of criticism for parting company with the legendary figure of Mark Robins and appointing the former Derby County boss three weeks later, especially after Robins had received plenty of backing to remould his side after seeing current Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres and Sheffield United playmaker, Gustavo Hamer, depart for significant transfer fees.

Lampard was able to work wonders with the group of high-quality players which he inherited last November, with the club rapidly moving up the table from a starting point of 17th, eventually suffering dramatic play-off heartbreak for the second time in three years at the hands of Sunderland at the semi-final stage.

Yet, with a handful of minor tweaks to his squad in terms of incomings and outgoings, Coventry, who had previously developed a reputation for being slow starters, have flown out the blocks, with one man in particular playing a starring role up front.

Haji Wright is enjoying a rich vein of form at the start of the season for Coventry City

Haji Wright was one of two significant incomings following the aforementioned sales, which brought approximately £35m into the club's coffers, with the West Midlands side parting with a club-record investment of £7.7m for the USMNT international.

After a period of aclimatisation, the Los Angeles-born forward would eventually showcase why the club looked to make such a statement with his incoming, scoring 19 times across all competitions in his first season at the club, which included a dramatic equaliser in the eventual penalty shootout defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final.

Wright was able to hit double figures once again last season despite a well-documented ankle issue that kept him sidelined at the beginning of Lampard's reign, as well as being accused of drifting in and out of games or missing gilt-edged opportunities, particularly in the play-off defeat to the Black Cats.

The 27-year-old has come into this season, much like several teammates, using said heartbreak as fuel to go one better this time around, as he well and truly reaps the rewards on an individual scale amid his side's unbeaten start after eight games.

No side in the top four divisions has scored more than the Sky Blues' total of 22, averaging 2.8 goals-per-game and outperforming their overall xG by 4.5 goals thus far.

Wright also falls into such categories in the individual charts, leading the way ahead of Oli McBurnie, his club teammate Victor Torp and compatriot, Josh Sargent with seven goals in eight games.

Whilst he has outperformed his xG and xGOT (expected goals on target), it is remarkable that the American also sits second in terms of big chances missed. Therefore, it makes it a rather frightening thought to debate what can occur if the 17-time international improved on what has already been a remarkable start to the campaign on a personal and collective basis.

Coventry City will be the envy of their Championship rivals amid Haji Wright form

At present, it would be fair to say that the only side who aren't envious of developments at the CBS Arena are Middlesbrough, who sit top of the table and are two points in front of the Sky Blues.

Some, rightfully, would have questioned whether such ruthlessness could have continued in the past two games as Jack Rudoni and Ephron Mason-Clark were sidelined prior to last weekend's 3-0 success over Birmingham City.

However, it is an ominous sign that Lampard's men continue to create chances at will from all angles with some of their star names out of the side, whilst also keeping a joint league-high of four clean sheets.

Indeed, the two sides who may be the most envious of Wright's current form are newly-relegated Leicester City and Ipswich Town, who were linked with a potential transfer move in January, although he was unable to add further salt into said wounds in the recent goalless draw in the M69 derby.

Regardless, Wright is currently on track to better his previous goalscoring feats should he remain injury-free, and they could be the difference between success and failure for City come May.