Coventry City have been hit with a major injury blow as midfielder Callum O’Hare has been ruled out for the remainder of the season (and longer) after suffering a ruptured ACL injury against Sheffield United on Boxing Day. The departure comes as a major blow for Mark Robins’ side just as the Skyblues were closing in on a top six finish.
What Does This Mean?
Well to put things into perspective, O’Hare won’t featured again for the Skyblues now until October 2023 at the earliest, considering it takes nine months to recover and that isn’t including the time it takes for the knee swelling to go down or the games in the U21s that he’d need to play before hand. This adds a further twist into our January transfer plans, with the club now having to move into the market for another out-and-out attacking midfielder to link up with Kasey Palmer and Jamie Allen.
O’Hare’s contract expires in June 2024, meaning by the time he does return, he will be entering the final six/seven months of his contract at the club. This means that he won’t be leaving the Skyblues yet, but it will be crucial to try and tie him down to fresh terms as soon as he is back fit.
Formation Moving Forward?
Following the injury to O’Hare, it is expected to be a straight swap, which would see Kasey Palmer return to the starting eleven alongside Jamie Allen. Due to the lack of squad depth, there isn’t many other options aside from maybe Martyn Waghorn, who would operate better in that position but that shouldn’t be an option Robins would consider. There is the possibility of pushing Gustavo Hamer further forward and dropping either Liam Kelly or Jack Burroughs alongside Ben Sheaf but again, I don’t think that would be the ideal scenario.
In reality, the Skyblues would need to bring in another attacking midfielder, even if it’s on loan for the remainder of the season. However, in realistic terms, we would want someone permanent but unfortunately there is very few players on the market that can match Callum O’Hare’s impact that he had on the team.
Cov fans, Who would be your ideal replacement for Cal?
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