"Seen it with Hamer and Gyokeres" - Pundit issues Coventry City transfer prediction after PSV enquiry | OneFootball

Carlton Palmer has told FLW his verdict on the situation surrounding Milan van Ewijk's Coventry City future

Key Takeaways

Carlton Palmer believes that Milan van Ewijk’s development would be best suited to staying at Coventry City amid enquiries from PSV Eindhoven.

According to Dutch outlet De Telegraaf, the Eredivisie champion’s director of football Earnest Stewart made an enquiry about the defender’s availability.

It is understood that the Sky Blues are asking for around €8 to 9 (£6.7 to 7.6) million ahead of Friday night’s transfer deadline.

No official offer has yet been made by the European club, with time running out to sort out a deal.

Van Ewijk signed for Coventry last summer in a deal worth €4 (£3.4) million, and has gone on to become a key part of Mark Robins’ first team squad.

Carlton Palmer makes Milan van Ewijk transfer claim

Palmer believes that Coventry will want to avoid selling van Ewijk this summer unless the offer is simply too good to turn down.

He has claimed that staying with the Sky Blues for another year would be the best step for his development at this stage of his career.

“Coventry City have made it clear they do not want to sell Milan van Ewijk,” Palmer told Football League World.

“This has come amid interest from PSV, other Championship sides, and other Premier League sides.

“But we know what their strategy is, they like to get players in, develop them and sell them for big money.

“We’ve seen it with [Gustavo] Hamer and [Viktor] Gyokeres, who went on to score so many goals and move on from there, that’s their transfer strategy.

“I think they’re going to hold off on a sale for now, they don’t need to sell, there’s some stability in the football club now with the new owners coming in.

“In that last 12 months, he’s made 42 appearances, goal contributions seven, chances created 33, tackles won 64, he’s got a very, very exciting future ahead of him.

“If he stays at Coventry, his development will continue to skyrocket, and the €4 million that the Sky Blues paid for him is looking more and more of a steal every day.

“It will be interesting to see what will happen before the end of the transfer window, but Coventry are holding firm that they do not want to sell him.

“He stands out among talented players with his potential and performance, but with the club’s model of buying cheap and selling for a profit, it will eventually lead to van Ewijk leaving the club.

“Whether this happens this transfer window will depend on the offer they receive, but Mark Robins is coming out and the hierarchy are saying he will be at Coventry past this window unless somebody comes in with a ridiculous offer.”

Coventry’s 2024 summer transfer activity

It has been a busy summer for Coventry, who got a lot of their transfer business done early in the window.

The signings of Jack Rudoni, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Oliver Dovin and Luis Binks were all completed before the first game of the campaign.

Norman Bassette has also joined Robins’ side, arriving in August from French side Caen.

Next up for the Sky Blues is a home game against Norwich City on 31 August, after the transfer window will have closed.

Milan van Ewijk can only be sold for significant fee at this stage

Coventry cannot cash in on van Ewijk without the fee being extremely worthwhile at this point of the window.

The right-back has been crucial to the team since joining last summer, appearing 42 times in the Championship last year, as well as in all three of their opening games this campaign (all stats from Fbref).

He contributed two goals and five assists last year, and his development is going from strength to strength.

The Dutchman could prove key to the team pushing for promotion this season, having narrowly missed out on a top six finish last term.