Pressley need not sell in January

Last updated : 14 November 2013 By Covsupport News Service/RD

One of the very real fears of all fans of Coventry City is that as soon as a player does well, he is sold at the earliest opportunity. Now that the team is doing well, with two of the league’s top scorers, they are attracting interest from other clubs thinking they can cash in of the Sky Blues financial troubles. It is not just the two strikers, Leon Clarke and Callum Wilson, who are attracting envious glances from scouts and managers. Conor Thomas, Cyrus Christie, Jordan Clarke, and a host of other City players have been subject to numerous transfer speculation.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Coventry City fans have been given the good news that the club’s owner Joy Seppala has told the manager Steven Pressley that he will not need to sell any player in January. He has also been told he can buy in the January transfer window is he wishes.

Pressley and his assistant Neil McFarlane met with Sisu boss Joy Seppala earlier this week to report on their progress and to discuss their plans for the future of the club.

Pressley told the Coventry Telegraph's Andy Turner: “Neil and I had a meeting with Joy for three or four hours in London. It was an update report and a case of chatting over what we have done so far and the strategy moving forward, and really looking towards January. That was the content of the meeting to be honest, and discussing all those matters.”

When asked if he had sought or received assurances that he will not be forced into selling his prized assets, Pressley replied, “Absolutely, she is very keen for us to build the side around our young players so it was a really good meeting. She reiterated the fact that we fully intend to retain the players we have in the window.

“Conor Thomas signed a new contract this week and I think that shows the intent to try to keep hold of players and build the team. And hopefully in January, if the right players become available, we can add to the squad.”

However, Coventry City are still under a transfer embargo because of the administration process and for not filing accounts on time, but it is hoped that any remaining restrictions will soon be lifted. The club have filed their 2011/12 Sky Blue Sports and Leisure and Otium Entertainment Group Ltd accounts and are working on filing their 2012/13 accounts as well as liquidating Coventry City FC (Ltd). Once this has been completed, the transfer embargo can be lifted.

The transfer embargo is conditional though, new players can be brought in provided existing players leave first. Pressley has the option at the moment of bringing in four players under the ‘one out, one in’ rule as Gary McSheffrey, Kevin Malaga, Stephen Jennings and William Edgenguele, Cody McDonald, David Bell and Chris Dunn have all left the club with three player, Andy Webster, Mathieu Manset and Stuart Urquhart replacing the seven departed players.

If Pressley wishes to bring in a new player, he will have to apply to the Football League for permission. The club will have to prove a player has left the club. The incoming player‘s wages will not be permitted to exceed 75% of the departed player’s wages.

Coventry City will be permitted to buy players, but under the Financial Fair Play rules, which state  clubs cannot spend more than 60 per cent of their revenue on the team, Sisu will have to inject their own cash, for example if a player cost £150,00, the owners will have to inject £250,000 into the club.

Apart from Urquhart, all of the players Pressley has signed have been on free transfers. He has said in the past that if he wants to bring in new faces, they will have to be the type of player he wants that will fit in with his team’s style of play.

Pressley is keen to recruit a pacey left sided player, he said,  “I really enjoy working with a small squad and from the discussions we had with Joy the importance is not to just bring in the player, but to get the right player. What we discussed is it’s better to pay some sort of fee for the right player than pay no fee and bring in the wrong player. So if there is a small fee to be paid then that’s something the club would consider if it was the right player.”

 For the Telegraph article, click http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/football/football-news/coventry-city-fc-boss-gets-6303464