Coventry City set to sign ‘top’ Premier League star on loan after £5.5m transfer fee rejected
Coventry City are looking to go one better than their play-off semi-final loss last season, and the Brighton & Hove Albion ace will certainly be a boost for Frank Lampard.
Coventry City have been less busy than some of their Championship rivals so far in the summer transfer window, but the Sky Blues are now poised for a major coup.
The 2024/25 season ended in defeat for Coventry, after Sunderland beat the Sky Blues in the play-off semi-final second leg.
Frank Lampard has sought to improve his backline this summer, after Coventry signed Kaine Kesler-Hayden from Aston Villa as well as Spanish full-back Miguel Angel Brau.
In their latest deal, Coventry are set to sign a highly coveted top flight goalkeeper. But, despite the Sky Blues’ best efforts, it will only be on a season-long loan deal.
Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth set for Coventry City medical
Since arriving at the CBS Arena, Lampard failed to settle on a standout number one goalkeeper last season, often changing between Oliver Dovin, Brad Collins and Ben Wilson.
Wilson started the play-off semi-final second leg affair at the Stadium of Light, with his last act of the 2024/25 campaign, conceding Dan Ballard’s late Sunderland winner, which condemned the Sky Blues to another second tier season.
In the wake of last season, Lampard and Coventry have been hunting for next season’s number one, and have appeared to find that with Brighton keeper Carl Rushworth.
Rushworth, who made only three appearances on loan at Hull City last season, is poised to undergo a Coventry medical ahead of a season-long loan move after the Sky Blues’ £5.5m permanent offer was knocked back by the Seagulls.
Give Me Sport reporter Ben Jacobs revealed on X: “Brighton goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has been given permission to undergo a medical at Coventry City ahead of a season-long loan.
“No buy option. A £5.5m offer for a permanent transfer was rejected earlier in the window.”
Despite the deal for Rushworth being a loan move, rather than a £5.5m permanent deal, the 24-year-old’s signing solves the key issue Lampard wrestled with last season.
Carl Rushworth will be new Coventry City number one Frank Lampard needed
Rushworth’s Championship debut campaign came on loan at Swansea City during the 2023/24 campaign, where the Englishman played every league game under Luke Williams.
In 2024, Williams heaped praise on Rushworth, touting him to become a future England international, after his impressive season between the Swansea sticks.
The former Swansea boss told the BBC: “He has been out there on the big stage and done it on the pitch. Everyone can see that.
“I think he will play for England – he is that good. It’s not just about how good you are as a player, it’s also the personality, and he is top.
“He will be the first to say that he has worked with the top goalkeeper coach in the country and it’s been a really good experience for him as well.”
With Lampard’s possession-oriented style mirroring both Brighton’s and that of Williams’ Swansea, Rushworth will be the perfect signing for Coventry.
Rushworth is the epitome of a modern-day goalkeeper, amply capable with his hands and his feet, which constitutes him being the ideal capture for Lampard at Coventry, one that will inevitably help propel his loan outfit to another top-six finish next season.
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