Football League World
·8 July 2024
27-year-old will be bitterly disappointed about Coventry City spell: View
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·8 July 2024
Tyler Walker will be gutted about the fact he was unable to be a success at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Coventry City decided to make a move for Tyler Walker in 2020 after seeing him thrive on loan at Lincoln City.
Scoring 14 goals in 29 league appearances for the Imps in League One, he looked set to be a solid addition for the Sky Blues.
At the time of his arrival, Mark Robins admitted that Walker was a long-term target for the club and with Coventry managing to get a deal over the line, they would have been hoping to see him play a role in keeping them in the Championship.
They had only just been promoted to the second tier at the time of his arrival, and having him as another attacking option looked set to be crucial.
In fairness to Walker, he did a fairly good job during his first season with the Sky Blues.
At the time, there was still off-field stability with the club playing its home games at St Andrew's, but the striker managed to score eight goals in all competitions during the 2020/21 season.
That isn't the most spectacular record, but he spent part of the campaign on the sidelines and it was a good platform for the player to build on.
Unfortunately, he was unable to do that and scored just two goals in 19 league appearances during the 2021/22 season, before being loaned out during the winter 2022 window to Portsmouth, who were in the third tier at the time.
At Fratton Park, he had the opportunity to get himself back on track, but he scored just once in 15 appearances for Pompey.
And things didn't get better during the 2022/23 campaign either, with a torn ligament disrupting that season before he was released upon the expiration of his contract last year.
Viktor Gyokeres may have been one of the first names on the teamsheet for the last two years of Walker's spell at the Coventry Building Society Arena and Matt Godden was a good option to have at times, but there was still the opportunity for Walker to be a success in the Midlands.
Unfortunately, he was unable to take that opportunity.
If Walker had been a success at the club and stayed fit, the forward could be enjoying real success with the Sky Blues.
Following the departure of Gyokeres to Sporting Lisbon, Walker could have stepped up and become a key starter, something that would have been an exciting opportunity for the forward considering Coventry are a side on the up.
They may have missed out on a top-six place last term after losing the play-off final during the season before that, but there are plenty of reasons for the Sky Blues to be optimistic, even with key man Callum O'Hare departing the club.
The goalkeeping department needs to be looked at, but they have some solid options in defence, with Luis Binks returning to sign for the club permanently.
Their midfield has also been strengthened with the addition of Jack Rudoni, who should be a valuable contributor under Robins, and they have some excellent options in the final third with Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ephron Mason-Clark and Haji Wright able to contribute from the wing and Ellis Simms making a real difference up front for much of last term.
The Sky Blues certainly have the potential to secure a place in the top flight and you feel it will happen sooner rather than later with the ingredients that they have.
Recruiting a starting stopper and a replacement for O'Hare will be necessary, if Rudoni plays in a deep midfield role, but they have plenty of time to do that.
In terms of Walker, he's back at Lincoln, who may have an exciting future under talented boss Michael Skubala. With this in mind, the striker's career is one to keep an eye on.
His failure to succeed at Coventry was a blow for him, but he still has plenty of time to make a real impact during his career.