3 players that could save Coventry City millions of pounds | OneFootball

Coventry City will no doubt be expected to have yet another strong Championship campaign next term.

The Sky Blues' rapid rise under the management of Mark Robins has been well-documented, particularly since they returned to the second tier.

Only two seasons ago, the club were a penalty shootout away from ending a long-awaited return to the Premier League, where they've not been since the 2000/01 campaign, whilst last season was inconsistent yet enjoyable for supporters in equal measure.

A remarkable run to the FA Cup semi-final, where City were once again beaten on penalties by Manchester United put pay to any promotion hopes as Robins' squad wore out, despite the brilliant form of Ellis Simms and Haji Wright, who were acquired last summer.

City were able to flex their financial muscle in the second tier after the sales of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, with the Swede's deal to Sporting CP including a 15% sell on clause, which could see a major windfall come the club's way through a reported €100m release clause set by the Portuguese outfit.

However, there are some prospects within the ranks at the CBS Arena who could save the club millions of pounds worth of investment in the years to come, and FLW looks into a number of those below.

Raphael Borges Rodrigues

Although a recent acquisition from Australian outfit Macarthur FC, Raphael Borges Rodrigues could prove to be a key asset for the Sky Blues in the years to come.

Despite being an unknown quantity by many in the English game, this faith has been echoed by the fact Rodrigues was given a four-year contract, having made just 50 senior appearances for Macarthur and previously, Melbourne City.

The 20-year-old will have to rival the likes of Ephron Mason-Clark for a starting berth on the left wing, which may prove a difficult task at first, but given his potential, highlighted by Robins' comments, the Dutch-born Australian youth international could definitely be utilised as an impact player in tight outings next season, before eventually looking to gain a regular foothold in the Starting XI.

Kai Andrews

Kai Andrews is someone who spent the majority of the 2023/24 campaign on the periphery of the first-team picture at the CBS Arena, but could be about to make his full breakthrough onto the scene.

At just 17 years of age, Andrews can feature either as a substitute or midfielder, and signed his first professional contract with the club back in January, after making his maiden first-team appearance as a substitute for Matty Godden in a 3-0 victory over Middlesbrough last August.

The homegrown talent made three starts for Wales' Under-19s too, highlighting the potential he has to break through into the Dragons' senior squad at a later date.

Similarly, it seems rather difficult for Andrews to oust either Ben Sheaf or Victor Torp from the starting XI, but given the recent departure of Liam Kelly, expect the youngster who was named on the bench 15 times last season to make a greater impression in the upcoming campaign.

Fabio Tavares

Similarly, Coventry do possess strong firepower, even beyond the aforementioned Simms and Wright. Therefore, it may be a sensible idea to keep Fabio Tavares among first-team plans for the upcoming season.

Granted, the 23-year-old is significantly older than the previous two names who feature on this list, but the Portuguese centre-forward still has a lot of untapped potential.

Unquestionably, his strongest performances came in the FA Cup, with two goals in a 5-0 rout over Non-League Maidstone United, as well as assisting Simms in the dramatic Semi-Final at Wembley in April, showcasing his fearlessness when given the opportunity.

City still have Godden on their books heading into this season, but given interest from Charlton, it may be time for Robins to make Tavares his concrete back-up striker.