Frank Lampard sent ‘difficult’ message as Coventry City questioned
The Sky Blues’ automatic promotion credentials in the new Championship season have been questioned
Coventry City’s automatic promotion credentials have been questioned – but Frank Lampard has been backed to have the Sky Blues battling towards the top end of the Championship in the new season.
Lampard guided Coventry into the play-offs last season, transforming their results when he took charge at the CBS Arena last November.
They bowed out of the play-offs in the semi-finals to eventual winners Sunderland, but Lampard’s side will be among the clubs tipped to challenge for promotion to the Premier League once again when the new campaign kicks off.
Assessing their promotion chances, Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman told Football League World: “I do think Coventry will be towards the top end of the table next season.
“Whether or not they could make a top two challenge is hard to say really.
“I think there’s obviously a lot of business that needs to be done. Players will leave, players will come in, so at this stage it’s difficult to say.”
Coventry have made their first signing of the summer, agreeing a deal for defender Miguel Ángel Brau, subject to international clearance and a work visa.
“What I will say is they will be up against the likes of Sheffield United, I expect to be up there again, West Brom I expect to do better, Middlesbrough, Norwich, teams like that, plus those that were relegated – Southampton, Leicester obviously came back down along with Ipswich, who will be very, very strong,” added Goodman.
“And the clubs that came up will be strong, so I do think the Championship as a whole is going to be much stronger than last season, and that’s going to make it all the more difficult for Coventry to get a top two place – I’m not saying they can’t do it, I’m saying it’ll be difficult.”
How much money Coventry City and Leicester City will earn from Sky Sports TV deal in 2025/26
As both clubs will be competing in the same division, they’ll both be operating under the financial framework of the £935 million five-year broadcasting agreement the Football League have with Sky Sports.
The new deal means that Sky can show all mid-week matches, all Carabao Cup ties and all games on Bank Holidays plus the first and last days of the campaign.
The agreement was worth about £60 million per season more than the previous one and Championship outfits will be about 46 per cent better off.
Leicester and Coventry will receive around £3-4 million annually as their portion of the television deal – with additional earnings potentially available through facility fees of between £500k to £1.5m per match when their games are selected for live broadcast.
International television rights also contribute another £1-2 million to each club’s annual income as well, meaning the pair can expect to earn between £9.5 -12.5 million each from television revenue and related payments.
Leicester and Coventry could find themselves near each other in the Championship tablenext season
Although the Foxes will more than likely start next term as one of the division’s most competitive outfits, their impending points penalty could seriously delay their progress up the table.
Coventry became one of the Championship’s best sides last year following Lampard’s appointment and took Sunderland all the way during their play-off clash.
Therefore, it could be imagined that the two teams will be fighting towards the sharp end of the second-tier during the 2025/26 campaign.
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