Celtic, Rangers and Everton must feel hopeful in race to sign Coventry City star Callum O'Hare: View | OneFootball

When it comes to attacking midfielders in the Championship at present, it's fair to say that Callum O'Hare is up there with the very best.

The 25-year-old, dubbed the 'Solihull Messi' by Sky Blues supporters, has played a key role in the side's resurgence which saw them emerge from an early-season rut - which saw them as low as 20th place after 15 games - to in with a shout of ending in the play-offs for a second consecutive season.

After an extended period of absence after sustaining a serious knee injury on Boxing Day 2022 against Sheffield United, the playmaker has more than played his part this campaign, despite only returning to action in late October.

Callum O'Hare's 2023/24 season so far

Since making his first appearance of the season in a defeat against Rotherham United, O'Hare has featured 20 times for Mark Robins this term in the league, starting on 14 occasions.

The performance which fully marked his abilities for anybody who needed reminding came on December 8, when the former Aston Villa academy product scored both goals in a 2-0 victory over West Midlands rivals Birmingham City.

Across the following eight matches in all competitions, O'Hare also averaged a goal contribution every two games, which included a further two goals in the M69 Derby against league leaders Leicester City, which saw the Sky Blues complete a dramatic second-half comeback to win 3-1.

Whilst he's only registered one more of his six Championship goals and two assists since then, his overall performances have still been of a highly consistent nature, only dropping below a 7.0 average rating in one of the club's last five league games - the 3-0 defeat to Preston on February 23.

Robins' comments on O'Hare could pave way for Celtic, Rangers or Everton move

All of the above data proves that O'Hare is capable of featuring at a higher level, and given recent and previous interest in his services, that wouldn't be a great surprise to anybody who has followed both his and Coventry's continuous upward trajectory in recent years.

As well as seeing Burnley renew their interest, Leicester City and Southamptonwere also said to have submitted bids in the recent January window.

But, what could be even more of a head-turner is links with SPFL giants Rangers and Celtic, as well as seeing scouts from three unnamed La Liga outfits said to have deployed scouting missions in the 2-1 defeat at West Brom on Friday night.

Not only that, but Everton and Fulham of the Premier League have also been reportedly watching O'Hare, according to a recent report from The Sun, and that could provide him with a solid pathway into the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, Mark Robins and Doug King are doing all they can to tie the midfielder down to a lengthy contract at the CBS Arena, although Robins' comments will no doubt have inserted some fear into the minds of supporters regarding his future.

“Callum wants to keep his options open, and I think everyone will have gleaned that by now, and that’s his prerogative,"Robins told CoventryLive in February.

“We have offered him a contract, and a good contract at that, and he wants to keep his options open to see if there are Premier League clubs wanting to take him; whether we get into the Premier League and then we become an option, or become an option anyway."

Robins' comments will offer the likes of Everton and Fulham hope that they can strike a deal this summer for the diminutive midfielder, but you cannot rule out the Glasgow pair of Celtic and Rangers due to the fact they are always normally involved in European competition.

Sakamoto injury could have major implications for Callum O'Hare's Coventry City future

Since Robins' revelations on February 22, when City found themselves just three points behind Hull in the final play-off place, two damning results against Preston North End and West Brom - coupled with a season-ending injury to the just as influential Tatsuhiro Sakamoto - has put chances of a second bite at promotion via the play-offs in a lot of jeopardy.

The Japanese winger recorded all of his nine goal contributions from November 25 onwards, and grew with the team as the season was progressing after finally nailing down a starting position, so it's a massive blow for both parties.

Coventry have since reverted to a back three system due to their lack of winger options now - a formation that also caused them major headaches in the early-season period and is what led to Robins switching to a four at the back.

And if the Sky Blues fail to regain their form, which starts on Tuesday night against the league's bottom club Rotherham, it feels inevitable that O'Hare will be plying his trade elsewhere at a top domestic division come the summer - especially if contract talks remain at an impasse.