Deal Advancing: Coventry City Closing In On Agreement To Sign £4 Million Experienced Defender On Loan After Positive Talks Held
According to Football Insider, Worrall is among the players Forest are looking to sell this summer. According to Nixon, the Sky Blues are interested in signing the defender on loan during current transfer window.
Sheffield United, another Championship club, is reportedly interested in signing the 27-year-old player. The Blades have been connected with the defender for some time now, with TEAMtalk stating that they initiated talks with Forest over a move for Worrall.
Worrall has fallen out of favour at the City Ground, with the Premier League side, but it has been reported that they are hoping to earn up to £4 million for the centre-back, amid growing interest in his services.
The report adds that the player himself is said to be keen on the move to the Blades, but things could change given that Coventry have now joined the race.
Reaction emerges to Coventry and Joe Worrall transfer talk
Last summer, Mark Robins brought in players like Liam Kitching, Joel Latibeaudiere, and Bobby Thomas to strengthen the centre of defence. Luis Binks also made a permanent move this summer.
According to FLW’s Coventry fan commentator Neil Littlewood, his expertise would be a valuable asset, even if he contradicts the traditional recruitment model of pre-peak players in terms of age. The team already has plenty of depth in the center of defense.
He stated, “Joe Worrall goes against our normal recruitment policy, but I think we need a bit of experience, as our squad is quite young.”
“I would not say no to his coming in. He has experience at this level. He clearly got promoted with Forest and has Premier League experience.
“I think he’d be a wonderful addition to the squad. I believe Robins like to have four centre-backs in the squad at the same time.
“And Latibeaudiere tried to deceive a little bit while he was there. I’m not sure if he is now considered right-back cover.
“To be fair, I believe Worrall is a superior player, so if he comes in, it will benefit the squad in that regard.
“I do think experience is needed within the squad somewhere. Whether that’s goalkeeper, centre-half, or in the centre of midfield.
“We’ve lost Liam Kelly, Simon Moore is another experienced player. We had Kyle McFadzean last season. All of that is down the spine of the team.
“As good as Bobby Thomas and Ben Sheaf are, they are still relatively young, so we do need that added experience into the side.
“Ideally it would be down the spine of the side, and in that respect, I think Worrall would be a clever signing.”
Joe Worrall and Coventry City
Worrall would be a solid but vital addition to Coventry this summer, for the reasons laid out by Littlewood. Not only does he have extensive Championship experience, but he was instrumental in Forest’s long-running stint in the EFL under Steve Cooper, which will finish in 2022.
Other intangible benefits, such as his leadership and voice in the dressing room, would be extremely valuable to the Sky Blues. They came close to promotion in 2023 and missed out on the play-offs last year, but Worrall’s presence at the club would be excellent.
Worrall will, rightly, want a side challenging the top-two in the Championship next season if he is to step back down to the second tier, but Coventry could be a good option for him if he his wish his regular football at a club that he can have a big impact on.
