Opinion: Coventry City should set their sights on EFL full-back

Coventry City will be hoping that they can continue to progress up the Football League pyramid next season, with expectation levels slowly creeping up at the Coventry Building Society Arena. 

Being in and around the top-six for large parts of last season, the Sky Blues were excellent in stages during the last campaign and will be eager to get the ball rolling again .

Looking to improve the squad with the summer transfer window now open, they will also be striving to keep hold of some of their more integral first-teamers, with Gus Hamer, Callum O’Hare and Viktor Gyokeres emerging as the big three who could attract significant levels of interest.

It would appear that a left-back/left-wing-back will be high up on the priority list ahead of the new campaign, with it now being unlikely that Ian Maatsen will return to the Coventry Building Society Arena from Chelsea.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Alex Cochrane has emerged as an option, as per a report from The Sun, with the Sky Blues set to battle Luton Town and QPR for the defender’s services.

If unable to strike a deal with the 22-year-old, then Northampton Town’s Ali Koiki is someone that could appear on Mark Robins’ radar.

An athletic and forward-thinking wing-back, Koiki’s ability to drive and commit defenders means he has emerged as a successful dribbler and ball carrier, whilst he has also displayed a great end-product for the Cobblers this season.

Proving to be defensively confident too, Koiki’s ability to read the game and win his defensive duels means that he is a flexible option and is not just confined to playing in a solid back four.

Koiki has been at a level beyond League Two this season, and with the Cobblers being denied promotion by the narrowest of margins, it