Thorn begins hunt for quality loan player

Last updated : 04 November 2011 By Covsupport News Service/RD

The owners and board of Coventry City have finally realised that the club will not survive in the Championship unless the squad is strengthened with a quality players and have sanctioned the release of funds for manager Andy Thorn to sign a Premier League player on loan.

As is usual with Coventry City this is not as straight forward as it should be because the amount of money made available will not be sufficient to pay the wages of the better quality players that could be available on the loan market. If Thorn does shop at Waitrose he will be looking through the sale bins, but he is more likely to be shopping at Poundland instead.

Thorn might have more options if Freddy Eastwood went on loan as he is one of the higher paid players at the club and if the club did not have to pay his wages the money could be used to help pay the elusive loan player.

Assuming a deal is done to bring in a loan player, it won't be a player of the calibre of Jonjo Shelvey who is on loan at Blackpool from Liverpool. The striker bagged a hat-trick for the Tangerines at Leeds on Wednesday evening.

Thorn is on the hunt for an experienced player who will help out City's young and inexperienced squad, but most of the Premier League players available for loan are young and inexperienced themselves.

Speaking to the CT Thorn said, “That sort of quality makes a huge difference but it is also expensive. 

“There is some money there to get a loan now but that depends on what market you are in, and we’re not in that kind of market, that’s for sure.

“I’ve been offered a few young players but will they make us better? I think we have got enough of them and we need a bit of experience and that’s what I’m looking for within the budget we are working in.

“It will probably only be one but I am not going to bring in someone who is 18 with a future and no better than what we have got.

“We need experience and someone who is a winner and it has to be within the structure of our finances. The Shelveys of the world would be way beyond the sort of wages we pay.”

Thorn revealed, “I have had a good chat to a former player I know who is a manager now who has offered me a couple but that probably wouldn’t happen until later on. If I can get it done sooner, great, but he has got to improve us and I am sure everyone would agree with that, otherwise there is no point.

“It is just a question of what window we’re shopping in. It’s not the type of money to bring a quality Premiership player if you like, so we’ll see where we go on that one.”

Thorn was asked if he knew who would be coming or going in the January transfer window and have a curt answer, "No."