Jake Bidwell

Position: Left-Back/Centre-Back

Age: 30 *

At Club Since: January 2022

Total Club League Appearances (Goals): 61(1) *

After a rocky start to life at Coventry City following his arrival last January, Jake Bidwell has firmly settled in at the club and has made himself a fixture of the starting XI. A solid, consistent performer on the left side, it is hard to have too many complaints about Jake Bidwell’s showings this season. What he lacks in dynamism, he makes up for in defensive qualities. In a campaign where the Sky Blues have had to make a lot of changes at the back, Bidwell has been one of few areas of reliability in defence.

For someone who has played a lot of their career at wing-back, Jake Bidwell looks he would be better suited to a full-back berth. While he can get into advanced areas – including making runs to the back-post when the wing-back on the right side is in a crossing position – a lack of an ability to either beat defenders one versus one through skill or to burst in behind through sheer pace means that Bidwell lacks that ability to penetrate opposing defences on his own that the best wing-backs possess. Additionally, Bidwell is decent, albeit unremarkable, with his crossing, which is hampered by a lack of forwards in the team that are good in the air. As for his defensive game, he has rarely let the team down, save for those first few wobbly months at Coventry City.

Jake Bidwell is in a slightly strange position of having not done much wrong in a Coventry City shirt yet is likely to be someone the team will look to improve on going forward, In fact, it is an open secret, at the time of writing, that Mark Robins tried to replace Bidwell in January, with there seeming to be a deal in place already for the summer for his replacement. With that knowledge, it is to Jake Bidwell’s credit that he has continued to perform steadily, and occasionally well, for the team over the last couple of months. Bidwell could well be one of those players who will be better appreciated after his time at the club ends.

*As of 09/05/2023

Previous Profiles: New Signing, 10 Games In, 25 Games In