Coventry City urged to retain Frank Lampard favourite - He has been an "absolute revelation" | OneFootball

Football League World's Coventry City fan pundit explained who he believes to be the most important player at the CBS Arena right now

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Frank Lampard will be looking to successfully navigate his first summer transfer window in charge of Coventry City and bolster the Sky Blues' squad ahead of a fresh promotion charge in the 2025/26 Championship campaign.

There is a palpable feeling that this summer may shape up to be a crucial one for Coventry, who were agonisingly denied of a place in this weekend's Championship play-off final against Sheffield United when Daniel Ballard's 122nd-minute header ensured Sunderland's progression to Wembley.

The Sky Blues' improvement under Lampard, however, has offered hope to supporters about what the following term could have in store. Coventry were down in 17th position at the time of Lampard's appointment, just one point above the relegation zone, but ended up finishing the season in fifth.

The former Derby County and Chelsea boss won 16 of his 29 regular-season matches in charge and his points per game record over the course of a full campaign would have put Coventry on 83 points - although that still would not have been enough to secure automatic promotion.

While Lampard will know that certain areas of the squad simply have to be bolstered - the defence has been a long-standing issue and there are concerns about both Haji Wright and Ellis Simms at the top-end of the pitch - it's patently clear that retaining star playmaker Jack Rudoni will have a crucial say on how next season unfolds.

Coventry City urged to retain Jack Rudoni for 25/26

FLW asked our Sky Blues fan pundit, Chris Deez, who he believes is his side's most valuable player right now. Chris namechecked Milan van Ewijk, who has had no shortage of suitors in recent times, but ultimately went with Rudoni as his number one pick following a stunning debut campaign at the CBS Arena.

A £5 million acquisition from Huddersfield Town just last summer, Rudoni enjoyed a starring impact for the Sky Blues by registering nine goals and 12 assists in the Championship.

Capable of playing anywhere in midfield along with on the left-hand side as either a winger or wing-back, the versatile playmaker has established himself as a firm favourite of both the fanbase and Lampard himself, and quite arguably, one of the second-tier's very finest operators for good measure.

Keeping hold of him, then, could prove challenging, and it does feel inevitable that interest will generate in the 23-year-old's signature. However, Coventry have been backed to "fight tooth and nail" to keep Rudoni exactly where he is.

"I think it's pretty much safe to say that our most valuable player right now is Jack Rudoni," Chris told FLW.

"He completely saved us at the end of this season. He and Bobby Thomas are the reasons why we got into the play-offs in the first place, he then scored in the play-offs.

"He has been a saving grace while our strikers have been misfiring and firing blanks for the last couple of months. If it's not him, I think Milan van Ewijk is around the same value as Rudoni but is more likely to go because he's been here for two seasons.

"He has had two very good seasons. This one started off inconsistently but he really turned it around when Lampard came here, some big clubs are interested in him - there's Galatasaray, Fulham

"They will be offering the sort of money we can't really be turning down in the Championship, especially if we want to be pushing for automatic promotion or the play-offs again next season.

"I think we're pretty much guaranteed to lose at least a few of our key players, and we're going to need to replace them with some serious quality. Rudoni came in from Huddersfield for about £5 million after being relegated with them and questions were asked about that, but he has been an absolute revelation.

"You can see how much of an impact Lampard has had on him, so I would like to think that the club will fight tooth and nail to keep him."

Frank Lampard needs to build the Coventry City side around Jack Rudoni

Chris' sentiment is one surely echoed by many across the Coventry fanbase. The Sky Blues were not always consistent in 24/25, but Rudoni rarely failed to deliver and has rightfully earned the mantra of being recognised as his side's star player.

That means Coventry must now be looking to build the side around him in order to best utilise his talents, which, alongside contributions from others, could fire Lampard's men all the way next time out.