Coventry City boss Mark Robins faces a potential transfer dilemma this summer involving experienced full-back Jake Bidwell, who was last season fighting for a spot in the starting 11 with Jay Dasilva.
The two left-backs battled for game time last season following Dasilva’s arrival from Bristol City as a free agent.
Bidwell made 33 appearances in the Championship, 24 of which came as a start, while Dasilva started 25 of his 37 games in the team.
With 31-year-old Bidwell’s contract expiring in 2025, it has raised questions over whether we might see some changes in that area of the Coventry squad this summer.
Given Bidwell’s contract situation, the Sky Blues may need to make a decision soon on the best path forward for the squad in that position.
Coventry City fan pundit issues Jake Bidwell future verdict
FLW’s Coventry fan pundit Neil Littlewood believes that most supporters would prefer to see Bidwell remain at the club, if it became a choice between the two options at left-back.
However, he has claimed that there could be something to the club signing a new player in that position given the speculation over prospective signings.
“He sort of had this career renaissance last year when it looked like for all the world that he was on his way out of the club,” Littlewood told Football League World.
“I think the rumour mill was that he pretty much agreed to go to Birmingham, but we couldn’t get Jay Dasilva until the end of the season, so he ended up staying, doing welll, and then battled really well with Dasilva last season, and was probably the better out of the two.
“Now, I don’t know if that’s because Bidwell has that year left on his deal and he wants to ship him off.
“It wouldn’t surprise me to see Bidwell move on, I wouldn’t want him to and I’d say he had a fantastic season last year. He’s just a really, really good professional.
“He’s the oldest player in the squad at 31, keeping someone like that around the club can only be good, especially with the young squad that we do have.
“Personally, I would like to keep him, but depending on who would come in for him, there have been rumours that Sam McCallum could come back, (Harrison) Burrows from Peterborough was another one that’s been mentioned, I saw some crazy links that Callum Doyle could return and he’s obviously played left-back a lot last season for Leicester.
“There’s something there.
“I think if you spoke to most Coventry fans, they’d rather Dasilva be moved on that Bidwell, but the one year left on his contract, and the age he is, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him move on.”
Jake Bidwell’s importance to Coventry
Bidwell signed for Coventry in the 2022 January window as a free transfer, and has gone on to play 94 league games for the club in the two-and-a-half seasons since.
But with 12 months remaining on his contract, now may be the club’s last chance to cash in on the player instead of risking losing him for nothing in 2025.
| Jake Bidwell – Coventry City league appearances by season (per Fbref.com) | |||
| Season | Appearances (Starts) | ||
| 2021-22 | 16 (13) | ||
| 2022-23 | 45 (40) | ||
| 2023-24 | 33 (24) | ||
Mark Robins will be hoping to build a team capable of fighting for promotion to the Premier League next season, so will need to decide if this is a position he feels needs strengthening this summer.
The Sky Blues came within five points of the top six last year, but narrowly missed out on play-off qualification with an eighth-placed finish.
Mark Robins should look to cash in on one left-back this summer at Coventry City
This feels like a big summer for Coventry because the team isn’t in a state of transition like it has been in previous years.
The upcoming campaign will be a great chance to fight for promotion to the Premier League, but it needs to get its business right in the transfer market to ensure that’s a real possibility.
They could opt to keep their left-back options as they are, but it is an area that they could also look to upgrade if they want to find that extra bit of quality.
Selling one of their options could help fund a replacement, but deciding which one to cash in on isn’t so straightforward due to Bidwell’s better form but worse contract.
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