Brandon Thomas-Asante’s contribution to Coventry City’s title-winning campaign had been somewhat forgotten about, perhaps due to a second half of the season permeated by injuries and suspension that meant he didn’t have a starring role in helping the team over the line. The forward’s combination of work-rate, energy and pace made him devastating over the autumn period last year and those exact qualities are hat has seen Thomas-Asante start regularly during the opening games of Coventry’s Premier League campaign, even with theoretically more talented players waiting in the pecking order.
With Coventry City seeing less of the ball this season, it is what Brandon Thomas-Asante offers out of possession that has seen him valued early on by Frank Lampard. That willingness to run hard yards for the team, often with little reward, has been important in holding the team’s defensive shape and being able to get up the pitch in rare moments on the ball. While there is frustration with Thomas-Asante’s lack of skill in tight areas to beat defenders or in holding onto the ball for slightly too long, it is the work-rate with the forward that is currently his most valued quality keeping him in the team.
Presuming the team becomes more comfortable at Premier League level, Brandon Thomas-Asante may be relegated to a bench role to allow players who offer more in possession to come into the team but for the time being, he is doing the job being asked of him. Thomas-Asante is being played to help set the standard and if anyone comes in to take his place, they must match those off-the-ball qualities while adding something extra. Over the long run it may be no terrible thing that some of the flashier new additions in attack are being forced to fight to get into the starting XI.
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