Steve Ogrizovic lays out Coventry City's 8-player Premier League blueprint

Coventry City’s preparations to be Premier League ready are ongoing and likely to run right until the summer transfer window closes at 11pm on September 1.

One man who knows the strength of the current squad, having watched them in action every week as a radio summariser for BBC CWR is legendary Sky Blues goalkeeper Steve Ogrizovic.

He also knows, of course, exactly what’s needed to be competitive in the top flight, having been a mainstay of City’s long and proud previous run in the elite division during his playing days.

Here Oggy looks at the areas of the squad where he feels Frank Lampard is likely to need to strengthen, starting with the one position where he excelled – many believing he was worth a good ten points a season alone for his presence and heroics between the posts.

“The first thing they have got to do is sort out a new goalkeeper and I, like most, would love to have Carl Rushworth back after his outstanding season in the Championship. He’s certainly one for the future, and I don’t see any reason why he can’t be very good in the Premier League as well.

“With that is the caveat that Coventry have to be careful that they don’t over pay just because everyone knows we’re desperate to sign him. Everyone around Coventry is saying, ‘we’ve got to get Rushworth,’ but if Brighton won’t allow him to go or put a king’s ransom on his head, then I don't think that would be fair for the club, and I don’t think it would be fair for Carl either.

“The first thing is we all want him to come back, but it can’t be at any price because there are other goalkeepers with Premier League experience who would jump at the chance of playing for Coventry next season. I think the fans have to have a reality check and understand that if it becomes too much then Coventry would be unwise to do the deal because it might mean there will be less money to strengthen elsewhere.”

“If you’re playing in the Premier League it’s essential that your centre-backs and your defenders are physical but have pace and athleticism as well. There are very few players who can survive at that level if they’re not athletic and don’t have some pace.; Game understanding and experience would be great as well.

“But essentially you want some sort of character and pace because when you look at Premier League forwards they will be up against, they are all very, very quick and technically gifted so you need to have speed in your armoury to help combat that.”

“I think they have plenty of pace with Milan van Ewijk, and had Coventry not gone up then I would have thought he’d have been one of the players who someone would have come in and taken. I thought he had a very good season last term, as did everyone, and he has got the pace and athleticism to do it at that level, there’s no doubt about that, so I don’t see him having a problem.

“And I don’t see a problem with Kaine Kesler-Hayden being there as well because he’s an athletic player and I am sure, given the opportunity, he could play well at that level, too.”

“Matt Grimes and Frank Onyeka are a good starting point. For whatever reason, Grimes hasn’t had that opportunity to play at the level much before, and the only question against him is whether he has the pace and athleticism, which is generally what you get when you turn to be Premier League players.

“But he’s been such an influence in Coventry’s midfield; he’s technically very, very good and very knowledgeable and makes really good decisions on the ball, so I don’t think he’s a problem at all. It’s just making sure that there’s athleticism in and around him.

“Onyeka has some Premier League experience, and we all know what an influence he was in the Championship last season.”

Another player who appears to be Premier League ‘ready’ is Jack Rudoni.

“In the right midfield, I’m sure Jack can do well in the Premier League. Whether we do it with the midfield we had last season, however, only time will tell.”

“Just as with last season, the existing lads will need competition, and it will be great for Ephron (Mason-Clark) and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto – both of whom had really good seasons. The one thing that does happen is that players surprise you.

“Some people might think certain players won’t be able to cut it at a higher level, and then when they get the opportunity, you find that they do; that they feel comfortable.

“And quite often, when you bring in good players, then the players around them lift their games and become better players themselves because they’re receiving the ball from those types of players in better positions and at better times, so they can do the business a little bit better and quicker. And that tends to help their game.

“They learn from them on the training pitch and the decisions they make and positions they are taking up on the pitch, and it’s a great way for others to improve their game. So if Coventry get those types of players, we might be surprised how much it lifts the performances of others who are already in the squad.”

“I would have thought the team probably needs another striker, and that’s no disrespect to the ones already there. Whether that means one leaves and another comes in, I don’t know. But your team is always evolving, and you are looking to bring new players in every summer.

“Ellis Simms and Haji Wright have been here for three seasons now, and if there are strikers out there with that Premier League pedigree who you know that can do it, then why wouldn’t you go for them?”

“Yeah, and if you can get the right one, I think every team is looking for that type of player, but it’s just a question of finding the right one. What doesn’t work, however, is if you are paying inflated prices for players who have been really, really good at Premier League and international level but can no longer do it.

“So you have to be very wary about bringing players like that into your team because, inevitably, they cost a fortune and they can be a burden on you if they can’t get into the side or get relegated and have to pay their wages in the Championship again. But if the right people come along then, of course, they are going to be a value.”

“You would think a goalkeeper, another centre-back, another midfield player, a striker and then look at the wide men, so I imagine we’ll need seven or eight players to complement the existing squad and if they can do that it will probably give them a fighting chance to do be able to compete at that level.

“This summer won’t be any different to any other when you get a bit of natural wastage and players moving on as the squad evolves. If it means one of the strikers has an opportunity and moves on and they bring someone else in, that’s what would happen anyway even without promotion.

“I am sure there will be a lot of our players attracting interest from other clubs after the seasons they had last year and there might be scope to get money back on some players to help strengthen.”

He added: “Whoever comes in, you do need some sort of top-flight experience. Coventry’s model hasn’t been for that type of player and I am not saying they won’t go and get one or two. But, generally speaking, they will still want to pick up players who are a little bit under the radar and who people won’t know a lot about.

“The boy from Eintracht Frankfurt (Aurele Amenda) seems to fit that model and he’ll hopefully be one who gets better and better, and when he eventually leaves the club, he’d be more than what they've paid for him.

“They have done recruitment so well at the club for a good few years now and this year, more than ever, it’s got to be just as good, if not better, because the club certainly can’t afford mistakes when you are spending fortunes. And to get players of Premier League quality, you do need to spend a lot of money.”

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