Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner runs the rule over the club’s six out-of-contract players ahead of this week’s expected retained list
Coventry City’s retained list is due out this week when fans will learn the fate of several players, most notably first team duo Jamie Allen and Jamie Paterson.
The list is expected to feature six Sky Blues whose contracts are due to expire at the end of June. The others are striker Fabio Tavares and senior development players defender Jack Burroughs, midfielder Ryan Howley and goalkeeper Cian Tyler.
Although the list had been due early this week, CoventryLive understands it is now not expected to be published until the end of the week.
So what are we expecting to see and will there be any surprises? There may well be a number of players still under contract that Frank Lampard feels are surplus to requirements and will look to move on, but gone are the days when clubs, certainly at Coventry, issue the names of transfer listed players.
So in that regard, don’t expect the club to reveal its hand in terms of who they are actively seeking to either switch to pastures new or cash in on to help replenish the squad.
Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner has run the rule over the six out-of-contract players up for discussion to predict the likely outcomes for each…
Jamie Allen
The midfielder appears to divide opinion amongst the fanbase with some feeling it’s time for the 30-year-old to bring an end to his five-year spell and move on, while others appreciate his role in the team and see him as a continued valuable squad player.
Although not guaranteed regular starts as City have evolved into a top end Championship side, Allen is a manager’s dream in terms of being low maintenance and a perfect role model to help the younger players – all qualities Frank Lampard has been quick to point to when regularly waxing lyrical about the player’s contribution both on and off the field.
He’s reliable, dependable and incredibly consistent in providing energy and tactical discipline when called upon, and showed that he still has plenty to offer in a midfield masterclass in the 3-0 league win over Sunderland in March. But is that enough to warrant another year?
For me, yes, as a squad player, but one wonders if the fact that Lampard hasn’t already taken care of the issue suggests he’ll be moving on. He was quick off the mark in handing new deals to Ben Wilson, Jake Bidwell and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto. Not so with Allen.
We also have to take into account what the player wants for himself. At his age he will feel he’s still in his prime with plenty more to offer, and it may well be a question of whether he’s prepared to be a bit-part player with the Sky Blues or make a fresh start with a view to being a regular starter elsewhere.
Jamie Paterson
Pato is another player who City’s head coach has raved about ever since he stepped foot at Ryton at Christmas on his extended trial period before eventually being offered a short-term deal until the end of the season.
Although a versatile attacking midfielder who could play wide on both flanks and anywhere across the midfield/number ten, the 33-year-old wasn’t handed a single start, making eight substitute appearances amounting to just 73 minutes of football in 16 matches.
His highlight was, without doubt, his wonderful last minute volley in front of Singers Corner to hand City victory over Portsmouth at the CBS, cementing his place in Sky Blue folklore as a true cult hero.
But whether that’s enough to earn him a new deal remains to be seen. The fact that he wasn’t given more match time tends to suggest it will have been a short, sweet and memorable spell at his hometown club rather than a case of the fairytale continuing for another chapter.
Fabio Tavares
It’s no secret that the 24-year-old striker is set to bring an end to his four year stay at City, having agreed a deal to join League One Burton Albion with whom he spent the second half of the season on loan, scoring two goals and showing enough to warrant a contract offer from the Brewers.
Jack Burroughs
A versatile, quick and strong player once described by former manager Mark Robins as a Premier League athlete in terms of his fitness and physique, the 24-year-old is expected to be cutting the apron strings for good this summer. A product of the Sky Blues Academy, Jack has probably been a victim of his own versatility in some respects, able to play anywhere across the midfield and, more recently, moulded into an attacking full-back/wing-back who can operate comfortably on both flanks.
Having had five loan spells in recent years, Burroughs has racked up over 100 senior appearances and 21 for Coventry in all. But it’s time to move on, to take a step down to League One and go again. He needs to find himself a home where he can start afresh and play regular first team football and establish himself.
Ryan Howley
Although a one-time highly-rated City Academy prospect, the Nuneaton-born attacking midfielder has been unable to break through and the fact that he was largely overlooked on his return from Ayr United in Scotland in January suggests he, too, will be moving on this summer.
The 21-year-old made eight first team appearances in all for the Sky Blues but, like Burroughs, needs to go somewhere to establish himself with regular first team football.
Cian Tyler
The 23-year-old goalkeeper is also likely to be leaving the club, having also come up through the club’s youth ranks. Seemingly overtaken in the pecking order by Luke Bell, Cian needs to go out and get a fresh start.
