Why Frank Onyeka chose Coventry City over Sheffield United and Birmingham City - he's explained it | OneFootball

The Brentford loanee has given his reasoning for why he chose to move to the Sky Blues for the second half of the season

Brentford loanee Frank Onyeka has cited a phone call with Frank Lampard, the challenge of winning Championship promotion and a prospective partnership with Matt Grimes as the reasons why he chose Coventry City as his destination for the second half of the season.

The Sky Blues signed the Nigerian international on loan on deadline day earlier this month, after an opening to the campaign that saw him play just 88 Premier League minutes at the Gtech Community Stadium.

However, Coventry weren't the only side in for his short-term signature, as fellow Championship sides Birmingham City and Sheffield United were reportedly interested in Onyeka towards the end of the window.

Ultimately, the 28-year-old chose Frank Lampard's side and, ahead of a table-topping clash on Monday night against Middlesbrough, he's revealed his reasons as to why.

Frank Onyeka pulls back the curtain on why he signed for Coventry City on loan

Onyeka spoke to Coventry Live ahead of Monday's matchup against the new Championship leaders, Middlesbrough, where he hopes to make his debut, after not featuring off the bench in last weekend's goalless draw with Oxford United.

The 28-year-old revealed that interest from numerous clubs was starting to surface at the start of the month, when he was with the Nigeria national team for the African Cup of Nations. After that, Sky Blues boss Frank Lampard ramped up the interest with a phone call.

"My agent told me about it [the interest] in early January, but I was just focusing on AFCON, so we didn't speak much about it," he said. "And then, I think two weeks before the deadline, I had a call with Frank Lampard, and that's when everything started.

"I spoke to him and could see that the club is going in the right direction, the club is going up, and it was something I wanted. Also, for family reasons, I want to stay close to them, and a lot of challenges like this.

"So that was the reason I chose Coventry over other clubs."

Onyeka adds to a midfield pack at the CBS Arena filled to the brim with quality, with the likes of Victor Torp, Josh Eccles and Jamie Allen all battling for a place next to captain Matt Grimes, who has played every minute in all but one of their 31 league games so far this season.

The Nigerian international feels that he could complement Grimes well, as the Sky Blues aim to rediscover their dominance in games and regain control in the ongoing title race.

"We are different kinds of players," he explained. "We bring different things to the team. He has qualities, I have my own qualities, and I think we can complement each other."

Frank Onyeka could be exactly what Frank Lampard needs to shift momentum back in Coventry City's favour on Monday

It's evident, given the number of top-end second-tier clubs that were reportedly interested in Onyeka, that the 28-year-old is a big coup for Coventry.

And while the initial goal with him in the squad would have been to maintain a grip on the top spot, Frank Lampard is now searching for ways to swing the momentum back in his side's favour, following a dodgy couple of months that have seen their seemingly insurmountable lead be overcome.

For the first time since October, Coventry aren't top of the Championship, but they have an opportunity to regain that place immediately against the new leaders, Middlesbrough.

It's going to be a huge game at the CBS Arena on Monday night, and the availability of Onyeka to make his debut will be a necessity, given his physical presence and clear top-flight qualities that not many at this level possess.

The Nigerian international doesn't have too long to make an impact and endear himself to Coventry fans, but a big performance on Monday night will go a long way to doing that.