Stoke City ought to look at Coventry City for transfer help: View | OneFootball

Stoke City finished 17 points behind Coventry City last season, and this year that gap is set to be even wider come May due to contrasting fortunes in results which have stemmed from their transfer business.

Ellis Simms' winner at Stoke on Saturday put Coventry 16 points ahead of their opponents in the Championship table.

Coventry have lost just two of their last 18 league games, a sequence which started with a goalless draw at home to Stoke on November 11.

That day, the Sky Blues ended a run of four straight league defeats and after the game, boss Mark Robins gave his thoughts.

He told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire Radio: "I'm sure we're going to beat somebody really heavily soon. We're certainly creating enough. We've missed good chances so I'm a bit frustrated about that.

"But you've got to start somewhere. On the flip side, we've kept the ball out of our net. It was a welcome clean sheet.

"But we kept them quiet for most of the game and, although there's been nothing much wrong with our performances, we've at least stopped the sequence we were on."

He was proven right as his side beat Millwall away 3-0 the following week, which kick-started a run of imperious form where they have picked up 32 points – double the number Stoke have earned in the same amount of time.

It's hard to believe that Stoke were five points clear of Coventry just three months ago, but what has followed sums up Championship football to a tee.

Coventry are just three points outside the play-off places, while Stoke are three points above the drop zone.

Stoke and Coventry transfer policies

After coming agonisingly close to being promoted to the Premier League last May, Coventry spent a club record fee of £7.7m on Antalyaspor striker to sign Haji Wright – who has scored 10 league goals for Robins' side.

The United States international, who will have the mid to long-term aim of leading the line for his country at the 2026 World Cup in his home nation, is doing his chances of this happening no harm.

The summer sale of Gustavo Hamer to Sheffield United helped raised the funds to sign Wright.

Robins brought Hamer to the club when they were promoted to the Championship in 2020 for just £1m from PEC Zwolle, and he proved to be one of the EFL's best foreign exports in recent times.

During his three-year spell playing at the Coventry Building Society Arena, he scored 17 goals and provided 23 assists.

This signing was no doubt the catalyst of Coventry's successful spending spree over the past three years while playing in the Championship.

Milan Van Ewijk, also signed from the Eredivisie in the summer, has been a solid and consistent performer at right-back.

Up ahead of him on the right side of midfield, Japan international Tatsuhiro Sakamoto has weighed in with seven goals and two assists after signing from KV Oostende of the Belgian Pro League.

In this sense, Robins learned from Vincent Kompany, who brought in multiple players from Belgium before Burnley were promoted last season.

Source: Transfermarkt

Wouter Burger, who Stoke signed from Swiss side FC Basel, has been one of Stoke's most consistent performers this term.

Andre Vidigal, brought in from Marítimo in Portugal, is the club's top scorer with just five goals which came in his first six appearances.

He has netted just one in 20 for the first team since, which has seen him drop down to play for the under-21's.

The player who is presenting Potters head coach Steven Schumacher with the biggest problem is Ryan Mmaee.

The Moroccan was also dropped to the Under-21's this month, but for a problem with his attitude,with him reportedly showing a lack of discipline in training.

His hopes of a second chance in the first-team suffered a blow today.

It's since emerged thay Mmaee picked up a knee injury in Monday's 4-3 win over Brighton under-21's that will keep him out for three to four weeks.

Mehdi Leris, and Nikola Jojic – also scouted from various leagues across Europe – simply haven't produced to the standard required, whilst it remains early days with Million Manhoef.

That standard can be seen at Coventry, who are eyeing promotion to the top flight. Both clubs have shopped around in Europe, and it's delivered contrasting results.

Coventry and Stoke: Opposite journeys

Going into the 2017/18 season, Stoke were preparing for their 10th consecutive season in the Premier League while Coventry were getting ready for life in League Two following relegation from League One in 2016/17.

Mark Robins has been at the helm throughout, and last season he his side were remarkably just a penalty shootout away from a fairytale Premier League return having not played in the top flight since 2000/01 – narrowly missing out at the expense of Luton Town.

If both clubs continue their current form, it could feasibly be the case that Coventry will be playing two divisions above Stoke having been three divisions below them just seven years ago.

A big reason for this is the differing ways they have used the transfer market – one club benefited from it while the other has done the opposite.