Sideways Sammy

Someone who’s been close to signing for the club on a number of occasions over the years, Jamie Paterson has finally made the move to Coventry City. A hometown player who has proved to be a strong performer at Championship, the doubt over Paterson’s signing is whether he’s left it too late to make an impact with the Sky Blues. Having not played regular football since the end of last season – after a move to MLS saw him play less than 50 minutes of football – it seems as if Paterson will do well to get fully match fit over the next few months. For the team itself, it feels a low risk move to add depth and experience to the squad.

Jamie Paterson arrives at Coventry City as a back-up player across the three positions behind the centre-forward in Frank Lampard’s preferred 4-2-3-1 system. Someone who can play with a lot of energy in closing down opposing defenders and also in his ability to ghost into scoring positions from midfield, Paterson is someone who can be effective as part of an attacking unit, rather than the individual who makes everything happen. While there are questions as to how effective he can be in that role at 33 and without a recent run of regular first-team football, Paterson’s physical capacity is less of a concern if it is as in an occasional substitute role.

The success of Jamie Paterson as a signing for Coventry City this season will probably be judged on how little he plays. With Ephron Mason-Clark back fit, and Haji Wright soon to follow, Paterson may well be third or fourth choice for one of the attacking midfield positions. If Paterson can make any kind of impact on the pitch, it will be a bonus. Just to have him available as competition and a bench option may well be helpful to ease the workload on other players during the run-in. The truth from a personal perspective at Coventry for Jamie Paterson is that he has signed at least a year to late to be a key player for the club.