How Coventry City are attacking the Premier League

Go up, spend £155m, defy predictions, and then defy them some more by finishing seventh to become just the fifth promoted side in the Premier League era to play European football the following season. That was the Sunderland way, a route many clubs would love to follow, more so because promotion success stories have become scarce, with the Black Cats and Leeds United the first promoted teams to avoid relegation since the 2022-23 season. But Sunderland’s blueprint will not be replicated by Coventry City, who are back in the Premier League after 25 years away. The Midlands club are determined to do it “the Cov way”, and while parts of that identity are in place, they are still a work in progress going into their trial by fire. Three transfers, more to follow Coventry have already signed Switzerland defender Aurele Amenda (Photo: Getty) Arsenal and Manchester City away, with a home game against Hull City in between, chucks Coventry in at the deep end. Facing World Cup and Ballon d’Or winners is simultaneously daunting and the exact reason why you want to be in this league, and while Coventry may view these matches as free shots, they will also be aware of how important first impressions are. Assembling a squad capable of challenging and surviving is therefore the obvious mission. Coventry have signed Switzerland defender Aurele Amenda for around £17m from Eintracht Frankfurt, winger Loum Tchaouna from Burnley, while midfielder Frank Onyeka has made his move from Brentford permanent. Coventry’s pursuit of Carl Rushworth is no secret either. The goalkeeper spent the 2025-26 season on loan there, but Brighton are playing hardball having rejected a £20m bid. And with Coventry boss Frank Lampard active in transfer talks – along with sporting director Dean Austin and head of recruitment Jamie Johnson – the former Chelsea player and manager is reportedly eyeing a couple of reunions. AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori worked under Lampard at Derby County and Chelsea, while reports in Italy also claim ex-Blues midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek is another target. Both would bring a wealth of experience were Coventry able to get these deals over the line. Brentford an inspiration, not Sunderland Matt Grimes and Frank Lampard celebrate Coventry’s promotion (Photo: Getty) Coventry are nowhere near finished this transfer window, one club source told The i Paper, with the World Cup having slowed down activity across the leagues. The club are happy to have got three deals finalised given the distractions, but going forward they will not go as far as Sunderland’s £155m outlay last summer. Coventry have spent around £21m so far and have already stressed there are alternative ways of approaching a Premier League return. Coventry chairman Doug King described Sunderland’s summer as “radical” in March and spoke against “total wholesale changes”. King’s desire to do it “the Cov way” is a recognition that every club’s needs are different, but there is also an admiration for Brentford, who have become a model of sustainability and how to punch above one’s weight as they prepare for a sixth successive Premier League campaign. Buying low and selling high requires strong recruitment, arguably some gambles, and 22-year-olds Amenda and Tchaouna fit this “Moneyball” approach Coventry hope leads to success on the pitch and eventually, huge profits. There is even a belief at Coventry that their foundations are stronger than Brentford’s. “Coventry is in a fantastic position in the country,” King told The Coventry Telegraph in April. “There’s a lot of history, a much larger fanbase, much more pedigree in its historical achievements. So I think it has different sort of, I would say, ceiling than a Brentford. “What they’re achieving… that tells us what can be done in football.” Putting Cov on the map Away from the pitch, Coventry have long been working out how to be a sustainable Premier League club. King appointed Nicola Ibbetson for the freshly-created chief business officer role last year, with Ibbetson leaving Paris Saint-Germain having also previously worked at Aston Villa, Chelsea and Manchester United. Read more Daniel Storey: Coventry City’s promotion is a monumental victory for resilience Transfers: Why Manchester United don’t want to sell Marcus Rashford to Tottenham Ibbetson, who was PSG’s global partnerships director, played a key role in Coventry opening a new two-storey club shop this month, which they believe is “the best store in the Premier League” and includes an F1 racing simulator. It is all about generating more income and the timing is pertinent because returning to the Premier League means Coventry are back on the map. A city proud of its club and vice versa, they want that feeling to last.