Coventry City sign £22m striker and Tunisian gem in bold transfer window prediction for Premier League return
Coventry City are gearing up for their first Premier League season since 2000/01
It’s party time at Coventry City, after the club powered their way to the summit of the Championship table and won the title with plenty of time to spare. Manager Frank Lampard has achieved club icon status after guiding the club back to the Premier League for the first time in 25 years, and they’ll be looking to make an instant impact on the top tier in 2026/27.
While fans will be counting down the days to those tantalising away days at grounds like Old Trafford and Anfield, there’s still a hugely important summer transfer window to come first. It’s always a precarious situation for a newly promoted club to manage, too. Do they keep the faith with the players who took them up, or go big on expensive new signings?
We’re an admittedly impatient bunch here at 3 Added Minutes HQ, and wanted some answers straight away. To do so, we fired up the latest edition of Football Manager, and had the simulation predict every player Coventry will sign and sell over the course of the 2026 summer transfer window:
Coventry City summer transfer window predicted - transfers in
Caleb Taylor - £4m from Millwall: A fine bit of business from Coventry to kick things off, as the 6ft 5’ towering centre-back became their first signing of the summer. He’s been one of the standout defenders in the Championship this season, and could offer star duo Liam Kitching and Bobby Thomas some fierce competition for their starting spots.
Firas Ben Larbi - Free transfer from Al Sharjah: There’s left-field, and then there’s left-field. Plucked from UAE Pro League, the 29-year-old pocket-rocket midfielder represented a low risk gamble for the Sky Blues. The 13-cap Tunisia international opted not to extend his stay with Al Sharjah, and instead headed to the Coventry Building Society Arena on a free agent deal.
Armando Broja - £22m from Burnley: No, Viktor Gyokeres did not opt for a return to Coventry - and shame on him for that decision - but a big-money new striker did arrive in the shape of the ex-Chelsea forward. Handed his Blues debut by Lampard himself, he became Coventry’s new record signing - a bold move given his woeful luck with injuries.
Caleb Kporha - loan from Crystal Palace: Keen to gain first-team experience, the England youth international agreed a season-long loan away from Palace. The 19-year-old full-back has bags of potential, and made four appearances for the Eagles last season. He joined to add fresh competition for Milan van Ewijk at right-back.
Todd Cantwell - £4m from Blackburn Rovers: Coventry’s relatively modest spending spree drew to a close on deadline day, with the capture of Rovers’ skipper. Midfield is clearly an area Coventry will look to strengthen this summer, and Cantwell’s arrival injected some instant experience into the engine room.
Coventry City summer transfer window predicted - transfers out
Victor Torp - £9m to Leeds United: Coventry largely kept the band together, but Torp’s exit to Leeds United was a puzzling one. His impressive displays in the Championship were enough to convince the Whites to make their move, ending the Danish gem’s two-and-a-half year spell with the Sky Blues. A healthy profit was made on his £2m signing, at least.
Jake Bidwell - loan to Portsmouth: The experienced left-back has struggled for game time this season, and it became clear that would still be the case following his side’s promotion. He agreed a season-long loan move to the south coast with Pompey, after they managed to avoid relegation back down to League One.
Kaine Kesler-Hayden - £5.5m to QPR: Leaving just one season after joining the club from Aston Villa, the 23-year-old right-back departed for a new challenge. With Kporha’s arrival from Palace, Kesler-Hayden was deemed surplus to requirements, and Coventry cashed in with a slight profit on the fee they paid last summer.
Luke Woolfenden: £2m to Middlesbrough: Another player who left the club after just a short spell, Woolfenden also didn’t make the step up to Premier League football. Middlesbrough failed to secure promotion, and brought in the 27-year-old among a host of other new signings in a bid to push back up in the 2026/27 campaign.