Coventry City, Anass Zaroury transfer news should be red flag to player signed by Mark Robins | OneFootball

Coventry City's pursuit of Lens winger Anass Zaroury could be bad news for Raphael Borges Rodrigues.

Coventry City are preparing for another year in the Championship after missing out on promotion last season.

Despite sitting as low as 15th in the table in early January, Coventry finished fifth in the Championship last season after a stunning second half of the campaign under Frank Lampard, but they were knocked out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage by Sunderland in dramatic fashion.

As the Sky Blues look to bounce back from their play-off agony, Lampard has brought in three new signings so far this summer in Carl Rushworth, Kaine Kesler-Hayden and Miguel Angel Brau, while the likes of Jack Burroughs, Luis Binks, Jamie Paterson and Fabio Tavares have all departed the CBS Arena.

However, with a month remaining in the transfer window, it appears Lampard is keen to strengthen his squad even further, and French outlet L'Equipe claimed earlier this week that Coventry are plotting a move for Lens winger Anass Zaroury.

Coventry City weighing up swoop for Lens winger Anass Zaroury

After spells with the likes of Lommel and Charleroi in Belgium, Zaroury made the move to Burnley in the summer of 2022, and he helped the Clarets to the Championship title in his first season at the club as he scored 10 goals and provided six assists in 39 appearances.

However, Zaroury fell out of favour at Turf Moor in the Premier League, and after making just nine appearances in the first half of the 2023-24 season, he returned to the second tier when he joined Hull City on loan last January.

Zaroury looked to be an exciting signing for the Tigers, and he did score two goals in 12 appearances during his temporary spell at the MKM Stadium, but he missed the last month of the season through injury as Liam Rosenior's side fell just short of the play-offs.

The 24-year-old departed Burnley for French side Lens on a permanent basis last summer, but it proved to be a frustrating debut season for him at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis as he was unable to nail down a regular place in the team.

Lens are now under the management of Pierre Sage after Will Still left for Southampton, but Zaroury reportedly has concerns about how much game time he will receive next season with the Ligue 1 outfit, and he could be on his way back to English football amid interest from Coventry and fellow play-off hopefuls Norwich City, while Panathinaikos and Espanyol are also believed to be keen on the Morocco international.

After his stunning first season at Burnley, Zaroury has failed to reach quite the same heights in the subsequent years, but having proven his quality at Championship level, his arrival would surely excite many Coventry supporters.

However, one man who may be less than impressed with the Sky Blues' decision to pursue Zaroury is Raphael Borges Rodrigues, who has struggled to make an impact at the CBS Arena since making the move from Australian side Macarthur.

Former Coventry manager Mark Robins spoke highly of Rodrigues after signing him last summer, describing him as a player with "a lot of ability", but persistent injury problems prevented him from showing his talent last season, and he has played just eight minutes of football in the league across three substitute appearances so far, with the last of those coming back in early February.

Rodrigues already faces strong competition for his place on the right from Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, who scored four goals and provided six assists in 48 games during another impressive campaign last season, and the Japan international signed a new contract in April to keep him with the Sky Blues until 2027, which shows just how highly he is rated by Lampard.

Lampard praised Rodrigues last season, calling him a "real project" who the club are looking to develop over the coming years, but with Sakamoto firmly established in the team, the arrival of Zaroury would surely push the 21-year-old even further down the pecking order.

Having handed Rodrigues a four-year contract last summer, Coventry will be reluctant to give up on him and cash in just yet, but as his minutes are likely to be limited once again next season, it could make sense for the club to send him out on loan before the end of the window to enable him to play regular football and show Lampard what he is capable of.