"I think Sheaf" - Coventry City fan pundit identifies duo as talking point ahead of 2024/25 | OneFootball

FLW's Coventry City fan pundit has been discussing who is the Sky Blues' most integral player going into the new Championship season.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Coventry City are hoping that a strong summer transfer window will set them up for a Premier League promotion push in 2024/25.

The Sky Blues have made some notable additions to Mark Robins' squad so far this summer, such as Jack Rudoni, Brandon Thomas-Asante, Oliver Nnonyelu Dovin and Luis Binks.

They've also been able to retain the services of some key players from last term, such as Ellis Simms, Haji Wright and Josh Eccles, as Coventry's squad looks to potentially be in a stronger position than it was this time last year.

But who is the one player that is the most crucial to Coventry City? Football League World investigates.

Coventry City can tell when Ben Sheaf doesn't play

FLW's Coventry City fan pundit, Neil Littlewood, believes that there's one player who is instrumental to how Robins' side operates, and will once again be a key player for the Sky Blues in 2024/25.

Littlewood said: "Ben Sheaf. I've spoken to you many a time about how much I love Ben, and what he brings to us as a club.

"You can tell when he doesn't play, we're a different side. The momentum of the team, the way we build up, everything just seems to run through him.

"I think Sheaf is the most important. There's still rumours that he may leave, and if he does, I think that's where the likes of Tatsuhiro Sakamoto come into play.

"Our season came off the rails last season when he got injured, I say came off the rails, we got to an FA Cup semi-final. But we really lacked depth in the squad to fill the gap and the creativity that he gave us down the right-hand side.

"So, I think Sheaf is the most important, and if he goes, Sakamoto."

Coventry's recipe for 24/25 success must involve keeping Sheaf

Coventry City came as close as possible to the Premier League without getting there in 2022/23, suffering an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat in the Championship play-off final to Luton Town.

The Sky Blues have begun to establish themselves as perennial play-off contenders in the second tier, and under the stewardship of Robins, they have one of the best managers outside the top-flight.

Coventry's squad is littered with talented players too, but perhaps none are more important to the team's success on the pitch than their midfield general, Sheaf.

An industrious presence in the heart of midfield and the natural successor to Liam Kelly's captain's armband, the former Arsenal academy graduate is at the centre of everything Robins' side does well.

Indeed, his 60 tackles won last season put him in the top 96 percentile of Championship central midfielders in 2023/24, whilst 47 shots and 35 successful dribbles placed him in the top 91.7 percentiles in both categories - per FotMob.

Unsurprisingly, the 26-year-old has garnered transfer attention this summer, with Premier League sides Fulham and Ipswich Town both credited with an interest, whilst Luton Town have also been linked with a move.

Contracted at The CBS Arena until 2026, Sky Blues supporters have been hoping their star midfielder will pen a new long-term contract extension this summer, which, as of yet, hasn't happened.

The more time that passes without him committing his foreseeable future to the club, fans will begin to sit less and less comfortably, and should he perform to his usual standards once again this season, outside interest will surely only grow larger.

But the club should do everything in their power to keep hold of Sheaf this summer, as they appear to have a squad that, on paper, can be strong enough to finally get over the promotion line this season.

They have multiple double-digit scorers from last term in Wright, Simms and now Thomas-Asante, quality midfield options such as Eccles, Kasey Palmer and Rudoni, with a talented stable of young defenders paired with a 22-year-old Swedish international between the sticks.

As such, Coventry aren't a club that needs to generate funds in order to undergo a rebuild of their squad. Instead, they are a side that looks ready to mount a serious promotion push in 2024/25, with Sheaf at the heart of it.