Sideways Sammy

If there was any concern as to how ambitious Coventry City were looking to be in the January transfer market, signing the captain of a fellow Championship club is some counter. One of the best central midfielders in the division for much of the past seven seasons, coming to the Sky Blues for both a pay raise and to reach their ambition of winning promotion, this is the kind of signing that the big boys in this league make. It is a huge statement of intent by the club, the question now is whether Matt Grimes enables this team to put together a winning second half of the campaign and beyond.

Matt Grimes has been the key figure in the patient, passing style that Swansea City have enacted for much of his time at the club. The player sitting at the base of midfield, keeping possession ticking over, patiently waiting for opportunities to open teams up, Grimes fits in with what has been a clear move under Frank Lampard towards looking to dominate the ball. Likely to be that player offering that first pass out of defence and then looking to dictate play, the hope is that Grimes will enable the team to balance keeping the ball with being able to create chances. The elephant in the room with signing Matt Grimes is what impact he has on Ben Sheaf, who has been playing the role Grimes has clearly been earmarked to play.

For all the positives about Matt Grimes, the doubt against him is whether he has the personality or qualities to really demand performances from his team-mates that can rectify what appears to be a dearth of leadership or doggedness in this Coventry City side. Grimes has been at one club for rather a long time without achieving promotion and there are questions to be asked as to whether he is the winner that the level of investment in a player of his age would suggest it is hoped he will be. Perhaps a change in environment will do Matt Grimes good, the worry is that he is another neat and tidy player to add to a neat and tidy Sky Blues squad who is coming here for a big payday.