‘Maybe Piroe’ – Ex-Striker Sympathises With Coventry City’s Situation
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Former Championship striker Sam Parkin is not willing to be critical of Coventry City for not getting in a proven goalscorer in the winter transfer window, noting that Leeds United hitman Joel Piroe was not available to join the Sky Blues.
With a flying start to the season, Coventry City topped the Championship table in November, boasting a ten-point cushion over Middlesbrough.
Despite their exploits, Richard Keys urged against getting carried away and revealed he expected a blip.
Middlesbrough have roared back in January, racking up six wins from six games, while Lampard’s men have struggled through a difficult winter, claiming just three victories in their last ten league outings, including a goalless draw on Saturday against relegation-threatened Oxford United.
For much of the campaign, half of Coventry’s goals have come from the attacking trio of Brandon Thomas-Asante, Ellis Simms and Haji Wright, each netting ten in England’s second tier, though their recent form has been inconsistent and unpredictable.
As it stands, Middlesbrough sit atop with 61 points, just two ahead of Coventry, who have amassed 59 points.
Parkin advised the Sky Blues to return to the drawing board after the difficult spell in January, calling for a shake-up and a willingness to give fringe players their chance.
He feels Coventry’s attacking problems reflect a broader Championship trend, highlighting the lack of dependable goalscorers even among sides competing near the top of the division.
The 44-year-old also cast doubt on the likelihood of landing a proven forward in the January transfer window, highlighting the scarcity of reliable options, and added that Piroe could have been a suitable addition had Leeds United been willing to part with him.
Parkin said on EFL All Access (9:26): “I think they’ve been in such bad form, they’re going to have to reconfigure something and give an opportunity to some of the fringe players.
“I still believe Thomas-Asante, Simms, Haji Wright, if you look at the teams comparatively to them in the higher echelons of the division, it tells the story that [Zan] Vipotnik is the top goalscorer in the Championship at the moment, for Swansea in 15th.
“Unless there’s an obvious Premier League loanee that they could have gone and cherry-picked and make a stack load of opportunities for, I’m not sure what they can do, or someone in the European market.
“Ipswich are struggling at number nine.
“Middlesbrough’s Tommy Conway is having a decent period at the moment, but again, the only centre-forward in the top half that you’d hang your hat on at the moment is Ollie McBurnie at Hull in fourth position, so he’s not going to leave there.
“Maybe he would’ve been prised away, but I think it’s difficult to go and get someone in the January window that’s going to be a sure thing.
“Maybe Piroe, if he would have been made available at Leeds, he would’ve been one, someone that’s a sure fire thing to come back into the Championship.”
Coventry City have injected fresh talent into their squad, signing Min-hyeok Yang, Jahnoah Markelo, and Romain Esse, a move one former Championship star described as smart business.
The club hierarchy also secured Frank Onyeka, a defensively minded central midfielder, but made no reinforcements to the backline, a gamble one ex-EFL star warned could prove costly.
Coventry host Middlesbrough at the CBS Arena on 16th February in a top-of-the-table clash which could be set to be a decisive fixture in the Championship title race.
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