Coventry City could find their new Hamer by signing £20m star from Ipswich

Coventry City finished the Championship season as title winners and will be playing Premier League football with Frank Lampard at the helm in the 2026/27 campaign.

The Sky Blues now have a huge summer transfer window ahead of them as they seek to build a squad that can be competitive at the top division of English football.

They have already been linked with an interest in Swansea City’s £15m-rated centre-forward Zan Vipotnik, who scored 23 goals in the Championship this season.

Coventry have also been linked with Aston Villa central midfielder Ross Barkley, who has plenty of experience in the division with Chelsea, Everton, Luton, and his current club.

When they dip into the market this summer, one of the key ingredients that Lampard needs to seek out is more creativity in the midfield and attacking departments.

Why Coventry City need to add more creativity to their squad

Despite winning the Championship with 95 points and 97 goals scored, no Coventry player finished the campaign in double figures for assists and no player created more than ten ‘big chances’.

Matt Grimes was the team’s standout creative threat with the highest xA, most ‘big chances’ created, and most key passes per game, but it remains to be seen if he can make the step up to Premier League level.

The central midfielder gave the ball away 685 times in the Championship. No player in the Premier League has lost possession more than 615 times so far this season.

Coventry will be battling against relegation rather than fighting for the title next year, which means that Grimes will not be afforded as many touches to create chances.

That is why the Sky Blues should look to sign a player who can offer creativity without being as wasteful with possession, so that Lampard can have an effective Premier League attacking unit.

Coventry once had an outstanding creator like that with Gustavo Hamer, and they could sign their next version of the Dutchman this summer.

Coventry could raid Ipswich for their next Gustavo Hamer

Hamer created 16 ‘big chances’ and created ten goals in the 2022/23 Championship season for Coventry before he went to the Premier League and created ten ‘big chances’ for Sheffield United.

Now, SportsBoom reported last month that Coventry hold an interest in Ipswich attacking midfielder Marcelino Nunez, who is valued at £20m by the Tractor Boys.

The outlet claimed that the Sky Blues would find it difficult if Ipswich earned promotion, which they have, but Lampard should press the issue regardless, because the Chile international could be a great addition to the squad.

Nunez ended the Championship season with the same number of ‘big chances’ created and four times as many assists as Grimes, despite the fact that the Coventry captain started 21 more matches.

These statistics suggest that the Chilean central midfielder is far more likely to carry his creative qualities over to the Premier League than the former Swansea ace, as he was more efficient and effective in the Championship.

Nunez looks more likely to do what Hamer once did when he went up to the Premier League with Sheffield United and showcased his quality with ten ‘big chances’ created and six assists for his side.

The former Norwich star’s ability to play through balls into space could also make him an ideal candidate to be the main creator in a team battling relegation, as a lot of attacks will be on the counter after soaking up pressure.

If the Sky Blues can sign a quick centre-forward who likes to exploit space in behind, such as reported target Lois Openda, Nunez could be the perfect signing to create chances for them.

Therefore, if Coventry can raid their fellow newly-promoted side for the Chile international, Lampard could have the creative threat he needs and his own version of Hamer in the building for the Premier League.