'Get my name noticed' - Coventry City signing has first team plan after transfer

New signing Tom Costello says he is determined to capture the attention of supporters next season after signing from Wigan Athletic.

The 19-year-old’s arrival was announced by the Sky Blues on Friday. Costello was signed as a free agent after reaching the end of his contract at Wigan, having scored 10 goals in 22 league appearances for the Latics’ U23 side.

City boss Mark Robins confirmed that Costello, who finished as top scorer of the U18 Professional Development League in 2021, would initially be linking up with the U23 side . However, the striker has already set his sights on making a name for himself at academy level and earning first team opportunities in the near future.

“First and foremost, I have to train well with the under-23s, play well and get my name noticed around the club for my performances with the 23s,” Costello told the club website in his interview as a City player. “Hopefully that will come if my performances are up to scratch, and I do well.

“It’s great to see lads go and train with the first team and they have that exposure, and I can see a pathway there, as long as my performances are at that level. The club as a whole, the academy to the first team, everyone has been great with me since I’ve been here.”

Describing himself as a target man, Costello is excited by the challenge of moving away from home for the first time and challenging himself at a “big club”. Having made his first team debut for the Latics in the EFL Trophy in November, the young striker joked that he had already made a name for himself at the Alan Higgs Centre.

“I’m a big physical striker, I love the challenge of playing against a centre-back and I’m a willing competitor and hopefully over the next year the fans will