Sideways Sammy

A seriously ambitious piece of transfer business from Coventry City, the Sky Blues look to have pulled off a coup in bringing Milan van Ewijk to the club. One of the best players in his position in the Eredivisie last season and courted by much bigger clubs from across the continent than Coventry, being able to sign Van Ewijk indicates that the club is seen even beyond English shores as an attractive destination for young and hungry footballers who want to progress their careers. Signed for reportedly one of the biggest fees the club has paid in over two decades (at around £3.5 million), Van Ewijk is not a punt; he’s not being signed on potential. It is expected that he will be one of, if not the, best players for this team and will be ready to make an impact pretty much from the off.

A quick and skilful player down the right flank, what stands out most about Milan van Ewijk is the end product that he produces from the right-back position, particularly in terms of goals. Mark Robins clearly wants to play with quick, attack-minded wing-backs. Van Ewijk is of the calibre of a wing-back who can not only stretch opponents by pinning them back with forward runs but will play as effectively as an additional forward for the team. Having players on either flank that can bomb forward and beat opponents looks to be a key area of improvement from last season, with Milan van Ewijk being a serious upgrade on what the Sky Blues had at right wing-back last year. There is still work to do for Van Ewijk to round out his game as a wing-back, both defensively and in his use of the ball, which is why he has ended up at Coventry City rather than at a club playing European football.

The signing of a player of the profile of Milan van Ewijk is another step forward for this football club. After turning a significant profit from the relatively minimal investment in Viktor Gyokeres, this is the addition of a more renowned young talent for a bigger fee – having also used the money to invest in other areas of the squad. There are no guarantees in football, especially when it comes to signing from overseas, but the hope is that adding players like Milan van Ewijk to the team not only allows the process of profiting on young and improving talents to continue but may eventually get the club to a point where there is less pressure to sell players at all. If Milan van Ewijk becomes a success at Coventry City, the Sky Blues’ reputation as a place where careers can grow and flourish will only become even more widely known.