Coventry City

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Several Championship clubs will be playing close attention to comments from Aston Villa boss Unai Emery about attacking midfielder Louie Barry.

The 21-year-old has been recalled by Villa this week after a stellar loan spell with League One Stockport, where he scored 16 goals this season.

Leeds, Sunderland, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Derby, Middlesbrough, Millwall and Coventry are among the clubs reported to be keen on taking Barry for a stint in the second tier for the remainder of the campaign.

Speaking ahead of Villa's FA Cup third round clash with West Ham, Emery said: "(Barry) trained with us and we are going to make a plan with him, an overall plan,

"I think he is a very good player who is progressing well. He has been on loan doing fantastic. Now we can have a new plan with him.

"He improved because he was scoring a lot of goals on loan. With us he only trained today and yesterday. Of course we are going to try and get a good plan for the club with him."

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Frank Lampard says the loss of injured Sky Blues skipper Ben Sheaf provides an opportunity for others to step up.

The 26-year-old midfielder limped off an hour into Saturday's late 2-1 defeat at Norwich and Lampard revealed he could be out until the end of February.

"It's unfortunate," Lampard told BBC CWR: "He has a muscle injury and is going to be out for between four to possibly six weeks.

"It's unfortunate for us (given what he means to us) as a player, captain of the club - it was a busy period of games, we rely on him a lot, it can happen to any player at any time in these busy periods. It's unfortunate but it's an opportunity for others."

Wide man Tatsuhiro Sakamoto is fit again but Sheaf joins forwards Haji Wright and Ephron Mason-Clark on the sidelines and Lampard said: "It's a challenge. Other players have to step up."

Lampard revealed he is working on incomings during the transfer window, adding: "We want to help the squad if we can. We have options. If we want to bring someone in it has to be improve us in this moment or improve us in the long term. We have to be strategic."

The Sky Blues return to FA Cup action after last season's semi-final heartbreak against Man United when they host Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (18:00 GMT).

Lampard - who scored the winner for Chelsea in the 2009 FA Cup Final - said: "Growing up, from a young boy watching on TV, I've loved the competition, I'm still a traditionalist in the sense of how important it is. I was lucky to have good success in it for the most part, so it's a big competition for me.

"We'll pick a strong team because we want to do well in it. We've got a strong squad, so there might be a couple of chances for players who haven't been playing so much but I'm picking a team that I want to win the game."

Sheffield Wednesday will head to the CBS Arena to take on Coventry City in the FA Cup third round on Saturday (18:00 GMT).

• Coventry have progressed from five of their six FA Cup ties against Sheffield Wednesday, including a round four victory last season en route to the semi-final.

• Sheffield Wednesday won 2-1 away at Coventry in the Championship earlier this season, ending a 15-game winless run at the Sky Blues in all competitions.

• Coventry have scored at least three goals in each of their last four FA Cup matches – only one team in the 21st century has scored 3+ goals in five consecutive games in the competition proper, with Tottenham doing so between January 2021 and February 2022.

• Sheffield Wednesday have progressed from their past six FA Cup third round ties, last going out at this stage of the competition in 2016-17.

• Coventry's past four home games in the FA Cup have seen 25 goals scored, an average of just over six per game – 3-4 vs Wrexham, 6-2 vs Oxford United, 4-1 vs Sheffield Wednesday, 5-0 vs Maidstone United.

Blackburn Rovers are in talks with Coventry City over signing defender Liam Kitching to provide cover for the injured Harry Pickering and Hayden Carter. (Lancashire Telegraph, external)

Want more transfer news from the EFL? Take a look at Thursday's gossip here.

Coventry's 18-year-old midfielder Kai Andrews is set to join Motherwell on loan for the rest of the season. (Football Insider, external)

Want more EFL transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column.

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Coventry City midfielder Jamie Allen said the whole team was "very disappointed" after conceding twice in stoppage time to let a one-goal lead slip in the 2-1 loss at Norwich.

Allen started his first game since 21 September at Carrow Road on Saturday, having been out for almost two months with a knee injury and on the bench after returning in late November.

"The lads worked really hard to get to 1-0 in the 90th minute and then for them to put them in the top bins like that, it's very disappointing," he told BBC Radio CWR.

"We kept them to minimum chances, shooting from long-range. We hung on until the very end, it's a sucker punch really."

The 29-year-old said he was happy to be back in the starting line-up and believes the Sky Blues played well despite the defeat.

"We worked as a proper team and I hope it continues," Allen added. "It's in the past now, so we have to look forward and think about the future.

"The new manager [Frank Lampard] has come in and has good ideas. We're working with those ideas and hopefully we can put performances like that together week in, week out and results will come."

Listen to Jamie Allen's post-match interview on BBC Sounds.

Leeds are keeping tabs on Coventry midfielder Ben Sheaf, with the former Arsenal youngster expected to cost around £8m. (Leeds United News, external)

Whites forward Joe Gelhardt is expected to leave on loan this month, after struggling for minutes this season, with QPR, Derby, Coventry, Plymouth and Portsmouth reportedly interested, though the 22-year-old could also have options overseas. (Darren Witcoop, external)

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard spoke to BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire after witnessing his side concede two stoppage-time goals to lose 2-1 at Norwich.

"We are all rightly disappointed with the result, but I take a lot out of it - the character of the performance. Sometimes you just have to take these ones on the chin," he said.

"Unfortunately, in a way, football happens. And we could always look at what we could have done to stop it. The first goal, it's nothing because it's a great finish and the second, yes, but the players gave everything.

"We did a lot of good things in the game. We've had lots of possession in the games we've had so far and today it was less so because we know they are a possession team, so we set up [for that] and the players did everything right until the last few minutes."

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Frank Lampard has revealed Coventry City striker Haji Wright has resumed light training after missing 10 games with an ankle ligament injury.

The American had scored seven goals in 11 starts for the Sky Blues this season but hasn't played since the 2-2 draw at Sunderland on 9 November - a game in which the 26-year-old's second-half goal started a comeback from 2-0 down.

Lampard told Friday's pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Norwich City on Saturday: "He came out on the grass yesterday for his first sort of steps outside with some mobility work to get moving.

"We're hoping he's back in the next two weeks or so, but it's been a fair amount of time now, so I want to be conservative about how I say he will be on the grass and then with us.

"He has to get his fitness up and the staff have been doing a good job of doing what they can to keep him as fit as he can be."

Lampard added he is wary of the threat of the Canaries at Carrow Road, though a win would take the Sky Blues within a point of their hosts in mid-table.

"They play good football. We've had a lot of possession in our games so far and this will be a different challenge for us in terms of the opposition that they are for us, and we have to respect them completely," he said.

"They have threats in their team which are quite clear to see in terms of their style of play, because they have a lot of possession, and we have to be ready for that."

Norwich will seek to follow-up their 1-0 win at Luton on Wednesday as they welcome Coventry to Carrow Road on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The Sky Blues had to settle for a point from a 1-1 draw at Cardiff as they try to haul themselves away from danger at the foot of the table under Frank Lampard.

• Norwich City are unbeaten in their past nine league meetings with Coventry City (W6 D3), a run that started in December 2010 under Paul Lambert.

• Coventry City have won just one of their past 17 away league games against Norwich City (D9 L7), winning 2-1 at Carrow Road in February 2009.

• Norwich City won 13 home league games in 2024 (D8 L2), their most victories in a calendar year at Carrow Road since 2018 (also 13).

• Coventry City have lost just one of their past eight league games on a Saturday (W4 D3), but that sole loss did come in their most recent such fixture, losing 4-1 at Portsmouth.

• Coventry City's Frank Lampard has only faced Crystal Palace (W5) more often in the league as a manager without losing than Norwich City (W3 D1), doing the double over the Canaries with Chelsea in the 2019-20 Premier League campaign.

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard said he was left frustrated that his side only managed a 1-1 draw at 10-man Cardiff City on New Year's Day.

Despite a decent return of five points from nine over the festive break, including a 4-0 thumping of Plymouth Argyle on Boxing Day, the 46-year-old believes his side are still playing far from their best.

"I was pleased with the reaction because I thought the first half was too slow from us and just not good enough," Lampard told BBC Radio Coventry & Warwickshire.

"So, frustrated. Listen, you come here and it's never easy in this league but with the circumstances of the game, you want to win it."

Callum Robinson's straight red card for an alleged elbow on Bobby Thomas early in the second half meant the Sky Blues had a man advantage for over 40 minutes but Lampard's side were unable to make it pay despite a great chance for Brandon Thomas-Asante late on.

"We created a few chances after that [the red card] which we should take one of so that's a bit of a frustration, yeah.

"The first half performance that we gave, you'll lose pretty much every time, so the players need to get that."

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard admits he was hampered by the loss of in-form Ephron Mason-Clark and the continued absence of seven-goal top scorer Haji Wright in Sunday's 0-0 home draw with Millwall.

US international striker Wright has now missed nine matches with an ankle injury - and is yet to appear under Lampard, who hopes to get him back as soon as possible in the New Year.

But Wright's continued absence was compounded by the loss of Mason-Clark, who had scored four times in Lampard's first six games but has now been ruled out with a hamstring injury that will extend beyond the New Year's Day trip to Cardiff and next Sunday's game at Norwich.

"We need other solutions as they are two huge attacking outlets for us," Lampard told BBC CWR.

"Mason-Clark gives us real width and then there's his goalscoring and the balance he gives us. But he's got a hamstring issue and he may be out for some weeks.

"As for Haji, we're hoping to have him out on the grass in January. It can't come soon enough as I haven't had the chance to work with him yet.

"Millwall do make it very hard for you. They're very hard to get through and you just have to stay patient. You go though their results this season and you see how hard they've made it for other teams.

"In the first half they blocked the middle of the pitch and made us go out wide. But I'm only frustrated with the result. I'm happy with the performance and another clean sheet.

"And Jack Rudoni was so unlucky. That goes in another day and then you walk away happy having won a tight game 1-0. But that's not the reality of the Championship. It doesn't always work like that."

Rob Gurney
Sports editor, BBC CWR

Image source, Rex Features

What do Coventry need?

It's been obvious since the early part of the season that the team is lacking experience and leadership. At 32, Ben Wilson isn't first choice, or at time of writing, a fit goalkeeper, and yet he's the oldest member of the squad.

Left-back Jake Bidwell is seven months younger, at 31, but due to injury and form, hasn't been an automatic selection either. They are crying out for at least one 30-something at the back and in central midfield.

Are they likely to do any business?

See above, plus the need to utilise Frank Lampard's contacts book to shoehorn one or two hungry loan players into his squad, which head of recruitment Dean Austin was reluctant to facilitate under Mark Robins.

The squad does need a refresh, and there's no way Lampard would have taken the job if owner/chairman Doug King hadn't agreed that he could put his own stamp on things.

How successful have they been in recent January windows?

It was largely regarded as club policy that strengthening in January was to be resisted, due to a perceived lack of value, although signing Danish midfielder Victor Torp for £2m last January was an exception to that stance.

He started with a fabulous flourish, but injury blunted his effectiveness, and is only now starting to get proper, regular football again.

Arguably, a bigger loss last January was iconic centre-back Kyle McFadzean, whose influence around the players, rather than actual game minutes, certainly hasn't been effectively replaced.

Are there likely to be any notable departures?

There will certainly need to be a degree of churn to regulate the wage bill, offsetting any arrivals with the odd departure or two.

Glancing down the squad list, the likes of Fabio Tavares and Liam Kitching seem surplus to requirements, while fans have been suggesting trying to offload centre-forward Ellis Simms, and even possibly Ben Sheaf, to generate some spending money.

The club captain has 18 months left on his contract, but hasn't scaled the heights of previous seasons.

How key is the window?

Under Robins in recent years, the Sky Blues were slow starters, but saved their best form for the second half of the season. They made the play-off final in 2023, despite a poor start, and for all that the run to the FA Cup semi-final last season was memorable, physically and mentally it took its toll on the players, which ultimately cost them.

It's still very early days for Lampard, but he'll be targeting at least a top-half finish, to give everyone some fresh impetus to take into next season.

Coventry City host Millwall in a mid-table Championship clash on Sunday.

The Sky Blues are 15th in the division but have picked up three wins in their past five fixtures, while the Lions are two places higher but have just a single victory from their past eight.

In their last head-to-head, Frank Lampard picked up his first win as Coventry boss courtesy of a 1-0 away day triumph.

• Coventry City have won their last four league games against Millwall, their best ever winning run against the Lions.

• Millwall have lost their last league visits to Coventry since a 1-0 win in December 2021 under manager Gary Rowett.

• Coventry City have not ended their calendar year with a win in any of the last four years (D2 L2) since a 4-1 win over Wycombe in 2019.

• Millwall are unbeaten in their final league game of the year in each of the last nine years (W7 D2) since losing 2-0 to Bournemouth in 2014.

• Coventry's Frank Lampard won against Millwall earlier this month at the Den but his only previous home league game against the Lions resulted in a 1-0 defeat in February 2019 when he was at Derby County.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

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Wolves 2-3 Coventry

This is the kind of game that brings football writers doing match reports out in a cold sweat. Late goals are an occupational hazard.

These days, some newspapers demand reports anything up to 20 minutes before the final whistle for evening games. But this match at Molineux was something else.

Firstly, it was a cracking atmosphere between local rivals who had reached the FA Cup sixth round and were therefore one game away from Wembley. Coventry were the better side and deservedly in front going into the final 10 minutes, so I was confidently putting together my report on the basis of a shock taking place. Wolves equalised with seven minutes left.

It was a shame for Coventry but no dramas as a draw takes the tie into extra-time. Wolves take the lead after 88 minutes. Damn. The context of what I was writing has to change and the story stripped out. Now the report is 'Wolves' late double breaks Coventry hearts' – and getting over by the final whistle is going to be tight.

Coventry equaliser, 90+7. Whaaattt. This is ridiculous – but at least we are back in the extra-time scenario and I have another 30 minutes to sort through the mess my report has become. Coventry winner 90+10. Effectively I have to write a whole new match report, from scratch, 10 minutes after I was supposed to finish to reflect Coventry first thinking their FA Cup dream had been wrecked to winning in the most dramatic fashion.