When it comes to recent transfers, few clubs can match Coventry City’s track record.
In recent years, the Sky Blues have made several excellent acquisitions. For example, Swedish attacker Viktor Gyokeres was reportedly signed for under £1 million in 2021, while Dutch-born midfielder Gustavo Hamer was brought in for only £1.5 million the previous year.
These guys became real stars for Coventry City and earned the club a sizable profit when they left the CBS Arena last summer.
Gyokeres, for example, was transferred to Sporing Lisbon in Portugal for an estimated £20 million, whereas Hamer joined Sheffield United ahead of their Premier League comeback for £15 million.
Coventry City’s Andy Carroll gaffe
While their recent activity has been remarkable, the club has not always been successful with transfers.
Indeed, in 2008, the club made a serious mistake by failing to sign Andy Carroll from Newcastle United.
According to CoventryLive, chairman Ray Ranson and chief scout Andy Thorn identified Carroll as a rising talent after keeping an eye on him while on loan at Preston in 2007/08.
Newcastle reportedly sought just shy of £1 million to sign Carroll at the time, but the club’s owners are claimed to have blocked the move, resulting in the Sky Blues missing out.
In retrospect, that was a horrible move by the club’s owners, as Carroll went on to become a very talented player and could have netted the Sky Blues a big transfer profit in the future.
Carroll, for example, scored his first goals for Newcastle during the 2008/09 season, with three in 16 appearances across all competitions. Carroll’s true talent would not be revealed until the next season.
With Newcastle relegated to the Championship, Carroll was made a focal center of the team, which paid off. The strong forward went on to score 17 league goals and provide 12 assists as Newcastle United won the title and promoted that season.
Back in the Premier League, Carroll maintained his excellent form in 2010/11, scoring 11 goals and assisting eight times in 19 league games between August and December before being approached by a major club.
Liverpool signed the Magpies forward during the winter window for a reported £35 million, a British transfer record at the time.
While this is still a hefty transfer price now, it was far higher at the time. Later that year, Manchester City would sign Sergio Aguero from Athletico Madrid for the similar fee.
Coventry City must have felt Andy Carroll’s regret.
Having seen Carroll leave for such a high amount and earlier leading Newcastle to the Premier League, those who opposed the deal at Coventry City must have had major regrets.
Coventry City not only missed out on having what proved to be a devastating player at Championship level, but they also missed out on a potentially large transfer fee and a significant profit.
Of course, we all know that Carroll’s Liverpool career did not go as anticipated, and the attacker would later suffer from injuries. However, in those early days, he was fit and performing well enough to be a great success story if Coventry City’s ownership had approved his acquisition.
Instead, the Sky Blues must accept that they missed out on this one, both on the field with his goals and assists and off it with the sum he would have eventually sold for.
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