Sideways Sammy

Coventry City got their transfer business for the Premier League underway with the permanent addition of Frank Onyeka. The Nigerian midfielder having arrived in January with the team struggling for authority in midfield, proceeding to lose just one of the 14 league games he made an appearance, which undoubtedly helped steer the Sky Blues to the Championship title. A player who has delivered promotion-winning quality to this football club, now that he’s here for good, the question is whether he offers Premier League quality.

It is the impact on results that best describes the effect that Frank Onyeka has had at Coventry City thus far. Billed as this forceful, ball-winning midfielder, Onyeka’s best moments in Sky Blue have tended to be in making surging runs with the ball from midfield, rather than snapping into tackles. The Nigerian has, at times, been easy for opponents to bypass, either in individual duels or by playing around him. The concern is that the faster pace of play and greater physicality in the Premier League could negate some of the qualities that made Onyeka so important to Coventry’s Championship title win. The main caveat is that Onyeka rarely seemed fully fit during his loan spell, having returned from the African Cup of Nations, so may have more to offer as an individual after a summer of rest.

As the player in the squad with the most Premier League experience, Frank Onyeka currently has an important role to play in guiding the squad. If the Nigerian’s impact thus far can mainly be measured in intangible concerns, such as improving the energy levels and mood around the squad, this could be where he could continue to be a force for good for Coventry City. While Onyeka was rarely a regular in three-and-a-half seasons around the Brentford squad, he is clearly enjoying the environment he’s in at Coventry as a leader. If things are going to be different for Onyeka compared to his spell at Brentford, it will likely be because of that very reason.