Coventry City must rival Aston Villa for blockbuster transfer - Frank Lampard will be key | OneFootball

Coventry should look to make an ambitious swoop for Fulham's Harry Wilson this summer amid Aston Villa interest

Coventry City will be spending next year in the Premier League, with their 25-year wait to return to the top flight coming to an end, as the Sky Blues' focus now turns to the summer window.

A 1-1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers was enough to secure promotion for Coventry, with a 5-1 home thrashing of Portsmouth seeing them get their hands on the Championship title, to cap off a wonderful year orchestrated by head coach Frank Lampard.

When Lampard was appointed in November 2024, there were concerns throughout not just the Coventry fanbase, but across the footballing world as a whole, with the former Chelsea midfielder having a huge task to fill the shoes of the departing Mark Robins.

Robins had guided Coventry from the depths of League Two to the brink of Premier League promotion, and replacing him was always going to be a tough task, but Lampard has handled it perfectly.

Now, Coventry will be playing top-flight football once again next year and will be preparing for a busy summer window of recruitment. They should aim to be as ambitious as possible, as Lampard should look to reunite with one of his former players who will be highly coveted across the coming months.

Coventry should look to make an ambitious move for Fulham's Harry Wilson amid Aston Villa interest

Coventry's current squad, for all the talent they possess, lacks experience of Premier League football, with only Frank Onyeka having regularly played in the top flight previously.

Lampard will be well aware of the value of experience, especially in this situation, and will no doubt be looking to bring in proven top-flight players this summer.

The former Chelsea midfielder may also look to reunite with some familiar faces in the coming months, and few better players will be available from this criteria this summer than Fulham's Harry Wilson.

The Welsh winger has had his most prolific season to date, hitting double digits for goals with 10 and grabbing six assists in 32 Premier League matches thus far, becoming one of the Cottagers', if not the most important player.

Having made the move to West London in the summer of 2021 from Liverpool for £12 million, Wilson struggled to nail down a starting berth at Fulham for his first few years in the top-flight, but now, at 29, has taken his game to the next level.

However, the Welsh international's contract at Craven Cottage is due to expire this summer, with Premier League rivals Aston Villa having been heavily linked with a move for the midfielder.

Football Insider have reported that the Villans have entered preliminary talks with the Welshman over a potential free switch to Villa Park this summer, where his wages are set to double to in excess of £100k per week.

Of course, this would be a tall order for Coventry to come close to matching, and Unai Emery's side remains firmly in the driving seat when it comes to the finances to make this move possible.

Though Coventry have the advantage that Lampard has worked with Wilson before, having loaned the Welshman to Derby County in the 2018/19 season, scoring 15 and assisting three in 40 Championship games, as the Rams narrowly lost out in the play-off final to, coincidentally, Villa.

Lampard will be hoping that a previously existing relationship between the pair gives the Sky Blues some leverage in negotiations, though in any case, Wilson would almost certainly become their highest-paid player if any deal were to happen.

Granit Xhaka made the surprise switch to Sunderland last summer from Bayer Leverkusen, and whilst the Swiss midfielder's move was an exception and not the rule, it certainly gives Coventry reason to believe they can persuade Wilson to join them.

The fact that Coventry won't be required to pay a lucrative fee for Wilson means they can focus on piling the money into his contract. As far as free agents go this summer, there won't be many better on the market, as Lampard should look to reunite with his former star.

Frank Lampard must remain ambitious when it comes to recruits at Coventry this summer

When it comes to signing players this summer, Coventry cannot afford to be complacent.

The gap between the Premier League and the Championship is ever-increasing, and whilst large parts of the Sky Blues squad will remain with them next season, upgrades remain an absolute necessity.

Sunderland's success in almost rebuilding their entire starting XI is a rarity, and whilst they shouldn't be the model for every promoted side, their business can be an inspiration for clubs in a similar position.

If Coventry want to comfortably survive relegation next year, quality in abundance will need to arrive through the CBS Arena doors, and Wilson would certainly bring that.