Coventry City sent clear transfer instructions as Viktor Gyokeres boost looms | OneFootball

City are set to earn a bit of extra cash from the Swede's seemingly imminent move back to England.

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 set for a financial boost as former striker Viktor Gyokeres edges closer to a move to Arsenal.

The Swedish centre-forward left the CBS Arena two summers ago after the Sky Blues failed to win promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs. His move to Sporting Lisbon earned City an initial £17.5 million at the time, and now, following another failed post-season, Gyokeres is set to send some more money in his old club's direction.

Arsenal are very close to agreeing a deal worth up to around £63.5 million for the 27-year-old, £55 million of which is set to be paid up front. The Gunners would have had to pay Sporting more, but the player's agent chose to reduce his 10 per cent compensation fee, making the requisite price lower for the Premier League side.

Coventry are set to earn 10 per cent themselves from the profits of this deal, according to Ben Jacobs, which would net them £3.75 million. Brighton & Hove Albion are also due a portion of the money.

Coventry told to hold their horses on imminent Viktor Gyokeres cash arrival

It'll be a nice boost for Frank Lampard's side, who are looking to go after promotion again next season. No wholesale changes have been made to his squad, and one of Football League World's City fan pundits, Chris Deez, believes that the Sky Blues don't need to go out and immediately use their new-found fortunes. He'd rather see it be saved for a rainy day.

"Coventry are in a bit of a weird position at the minute, because I think the most important thing for any fan was that we didn't lose any of our key assets, like [Jack] Rudoni, [Milan] van Ewijk, Haji Wright," said Deez. "And now here we are, halfway through the month, just over two weeks left for the window until it closes.

"We're seeing players linked like van Ewijk to Fulham and things like that, but nothing really concrete. So if money comes in from Gyokeres, not sure how much it's going to be because obviously Brighton have got a sell-on clause in there as well, so they're going to get a percentage.

"I'm seeing a lot of fans saying that they'd like us to bring in another goalkeeper, what with Dovin unlikely to be back before Christmas and I do get that, but I'm a big, big fan of Ben Wilson.

"He saved the end of our season last season, and he was fantastic for us when he got the golden gloves, so I'd be quite happy to stick with him. And, like I said, it all depends on if we lose players.

"We've got we've got van Ewijk's replacement ready in [Kaine] Kesler-Hayden, but if van Ewijk doesn't leave, is Kesler-Hayden just his backup? We've brought in Brau at left-back, which was a position that we desperately needed.

"We don't need any midfielders. We've got loads of creative players. I guess maybe a bit of backup for Rudoni, as he's our most creative outlet, but Lampard has spoken highly of Kai Andrews, so I'd like to see him get a bit more game time this season, maybe off the bench.

"And if we can sort out Haji Wright, get him back to full fitness and get [Ellis] Simms performing like he did the season before last when he was alongside Wright, then I sort of don't think we really need anybody.

"We've been linked with a couple of other players like [Tyrhys] Dolan from Blackburn [Rovers], which would be on a free. Absolutely fine with that.

"We've been linked with Lewis Travis, again from Blackburn, which I'd be absolutely fine with and I think that is a free agent as well. So there are a lot of options out there.

"I think, give it another week, revisit it, see what happens, exactly how much we get for Gyokeres, if any more concrete interest comes in for the lights of van Ewijk and sort of take stock, at that point, and see what we really need. But I'm quite optimistic for once and quite happy with what we've got."

Succession planning has to be at the forefront of Coventry's summer plans

Lampards' squad is in a position where it doesn't need major renovations. Now, you wouldn't be able to reshape a team with Premier League aspirations on a budget of less than £4 million, but what Coventry could do is look to future-proof themselves.

As the window progresses, more and more teams are likely to snoop around some of their top players. What they did with van Ewijk and Kesler-Hayden was perfect, because they either have a ready-made replacement for the Dutchman if he leaves this summer, or just healthy competition for a spot in the squad.

They should 100% look to do the same with other positions that may be a worry for them, like buying a potential successor to Rudoni or Wright. It wouldn't need to be done imminently, but making sure those plans are in place is crucial for them.