Promotion or not, Coventry City should be seeing Man City transfer reunion this summer | OneFootball

Coventry City should go back in for Manchester City youngster Callum Doyle, regardless of what division the Sky Blues find themselves in next season.

As Coventry City head into their play-off campaign which began with a semi-final against an out-of-form Sunderland side, the Sky Blues should be planning their summer transfer window anyway and one man that stands out as a potential acquisition would be Callum Doyle.

Frank Lampard took charge of City midway through the season following the surprise sacking of Mark Robins and his side sealed a top six spot and play-off berth on the final day of the campaign, courtesy of a 2-0 defeat of Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough at the CBS Arena.

Like all clubs heading into the summer when they aren’t yet sure of what division they will be in, Coventry should, and likely will, have a couple of sets of transfer plans depending on whether they stay down or do manage to go up.

However, one name that should be on both sets of plans, whether they are a Championship or a Premier League side, is Manchester City centre-back and former Coventry loanee Callum Doyle.

Doyle’s likely City departure

It has been reported by Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail that 21-year-old Doyle is expected to seek a permanent move away from the Etihad Stadium, having been out on loan for four seasons in the EFL.

He spent the 2021/22 season helping Sunderland gain promotion to the Championship via the play-offs before a season helping Coventry reach the final of the 2022/23 Championship play-offs.

Rather than return to Coventry, he signed for Leicester City and played a bit-part role as the Foxes won the second-tier title last season before spending the 2024/25 campaign as a regular for Norwich City.

Now, as he looks to continue his development, the England U21 international, who helped England’s U19 side win the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, looks set to push for a new permanent home.

Good fit for Lampard

Doyle has already gained enough experience to make him seem hardened, despite his age.

It is his technical attributes that make him a good fit for Lampard and Coventry, though, with the ability to bring and pass the ball out from the back balanced well against a natural defensive intuition.

There are, of course, things to improve upon, but for a 21-year-old to have already had the success he has had in the position that he plays in the EFL is extremely impressive.

Doyle’s move to Leicester a couple of years ago may sting a few Coventry supporters, but his excellent performances for the Sky Blues as well as immense potential, still only 21, would surely mean he would be forgiven.

If it is to be another season in the second-tier, then signing someone with so much EFL experience already, as well as his general versatility, is a no-brainer but, with his potential and technical, modern-day attributes for a defender, would also seem a smart pick-up in the top-flight.