Having already provided the lowdown on Coventry City’s head coach and their defence, our ‘Promoted’ series will now check out their attack.
In this article, there’s an assessment of the Sky Blues’ Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfield and forward options.
- READ MORE: What can FPL managers expect from Frank Lampard + Coventry?
- READ MORE: All you need to know about Coventry’s £4.0m defenders
To provide a fan’s perspective, we’ve included insights from Coventry supporter Lenny, who is a long-time user of the site.
DO COVENTRY HAVE GOAL-SCORING POTENTIAL IN FPL?
| P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall record | 46 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 97 | 45 | +52 | 95 |
| Home | 23 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 51 | 19 | +32 | 55 |
| Away | 23 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 46 | 26 | +20 | 40 |
While coasting to the title, Coventry were the highest scorers in England’s four tiers with 97 goals.
Unsurprisingly, they were top of the Championship both at home (51) and away (46), pipping Middlesbrough to the most attempts (745) and also being first for shots on target (255).
They provided plenty of opportunities for attacking assets to deliver, sitting first for Opta expected goals (xG, 87.30):
It all began with a 0-0 versus Hull City, but their response was to put five and seven past Derby County and Queens Park Rangers. After nine matches, they delivered 27 goals.
These were two of seven occasions where Frank Lampard’s lot netted at least four times. Although there was a sticky seven-game spell featuring a low five strikes.
In terms of set-pieces, their 29 goals averaged a high 0.63 per game.
COVENTRY: FPL PLAYERS
2025/26: APPS, GOALS AND ASSISTS
| Player | Primary position in 2025/26 | Starts (sub apps) | Mins | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Grimes | CM | 46 (0) | 4,125 | 2 | 2 |
| Ephron Mason-Clark | AM | 36 (6) | 2,989 | 10 | 6 |
| Haji Wright | CF | 31 (9) | 2,593 | 17 | 1 |
| Tatsuhiro Sakamoto | AM | 29 (6) | 2,494 | 7 | 3 |
| Victor Torp | CM | 25 (14) | 2,320 | 10 | 7 |
| Jack Rudoni | AM | 24 (6) | 2,110 | 7 | 6 |
| Brandon Thomas-Asante | AM | 21 (11) | 1,864 | 13 | 4 |
| Josh Eccles | AM | 19 (15) | 1,514 | 4 | 1 |
| Ellis Simms | CF | 15 (28) | 1,628 | 13 | 2 |
| Frank Onyeka | DM | 13 (1) | 1,024 | 1 | 1 |
| Romain Esse* | AM | 8 (9) | 757 | 2 | 1 |
| Jamie Allen* | CM | 4 (19) | 572 | 1 | 2 |
GOAL THREAT
Despite just 31 starts, Haji Wright (£5.5m) was the division’s joint-second best at accumulating goals (17) and shots on target (37), while also ranking first for xG (18.32). He even found time to miss 20 big chances.
Joining the American international in double figures were Brandon Thomas-Asante (£5.0m), Victor Torp (£5.5m), Ephron Mason-Clark (£5.5m) and Ellis Simms (£5.0m).
The backup striker had the league’s best rate for efforts per 90 (4.20) and shots on target per 90 (1.88), yet game time has been a problem. And just when it seemed like Wright’s minor thigh injury could get Simms some early top-flight starts, Coventry went and signed Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.5m) on Monday.
As for penalties, their five were split between Wright (x2), Thomas-Asante, Torp and Matt Grimes (£5.0m).
ASSIST POTENTIAL
| SHOTS | ON TARGET | XG | CHANCES CREATED | BIG CHANCES CREATED | DEFCON PER 90 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright | 98 | 37 | 18.32 | 19 | 1 | 2.71 |
| Simms | 76 | 34 | 11.61 | 17 | 4 | 3.10 |
| Sakamoto | 40 | 20 | 4.25 | 36 | 10 | 6.13 |
| Mason-Clark | 74 | 32 | 9.67 | 64 | 8 | 5.00 |
| Thomas-Asante | 63 | 26 | 11.67 | 18 | 5 | 6.28 |
| Onyeka (loan) | 12 | 4 | 1.12 | 7 | 1 | 9.84 |
| Grimes | 32 | 6 | 1.74 | 80 | 10 | 9.58 |
| Torp | 76 | 21 | 5.44 | 46 | 7 | 7.95 |
| Rudoni | 60 | 16 | 5.14 | 37 | 5 | 6.65 |
| Esse (loan) | 26 | 9 | 3.22 | 13 | 1 | 7.25 |
| Eccles | 39 | 18 | 3.97 | 24 | 2 | 7.13 |
| Allen | 6 | 2 | 0.61 | 6 | 1 | 10.23 |
Speaking of Grimes, Coventry’s club captain created the fourth-most Championship chances (80) and took plenty of corners. That’s carried on into pre-season.
But he only assisted twice in 2025/26, in comparison to Torp’s seven and the half-dozen of Mason-Clark and Jack Rudoni (£5.0m).
The latter two will likely be on the bench in Gameweek 1, probably joined by Torp, who made 14 second-tier cameos. It was hard enough for these attackers to get consistent starts, and now the likes of Loum Tchaouna (£5.5m), Caleb Yirenkyi (£5.0m) and Gustavo Hamer (£5.5m) have joined the club.
“If you look at last season, non-fans will be looking at Torp and Thomas-Asante but they only played because of injuries. We have strengthened in midfield and they will be further down the pecking list.” – Lenny
Returning to the Sky Blues after three years at Sheffield United, Hamer was 2025/26’s best in the league for assists (12). Will he be used centrally, or out wide?
Lampard leaned towards a 4-3-3 (4-4-2 off the ball) in their final friendly versus Monaco
“Hamer will improve our squad, but for me he is a central midfielder. He’s best where Grimes plays and not stuck out on the wing where Sheffield United played him.” – Lenny
Joint with Grimes on 10 big chances created is Tatsuhiro Sakamoto (£5.0m). He had a decent minutes tally, but just 4.25 xG. Six teammates bettered his 10 attacking returns.
And although the 29-year-old scored in Coventry’s friendly win over Espanyol, he was an unused substitute against Monaco.
DEFCON POTENTIAL
None of their regulars averaged anywhere near the 12-action threshold needed to gain two points. Closest were Frank Onyeka (£5.0m, 9.84) – whose loan has been made permanent – and Grimes (9.58).
Of course, it’s worth taking into account that, this time, they won’t be the league’s dominant team. That should add some more clearances, blocks, interceptions, recoveries and tackles.
Perhaps the best route to these extra two points is newbie Yirenkyi. Named last season’s Danish Superliga Young Player of the Year, the club-record signing averaged a huge 13.05 DefCon per 90 for Nordsjaelland. This isn’t far behind Elliot Anderson (£6.5m, 13.94).
Above: The DefCon per 90 numbers of regularly seen midfielders
Furthermore, he showcased his attacking threat by scoring for Ghana in the World Cup, then assisting against Monaco. His 65-minute debut racked up nine DefCon actions, and he had two great chances to score.
FINAL WORD
There’s definitely some Coventry curiosity amongst the FPL community. Selecting a cheap attacker from the Championship’s highest scorers for their Gameweek 2 hosting of Hull is a valid Bench Boost tactic.
However, the waters have been muddied by injury issues and new arrivals.
“[Rudoni and Mason-Clark] are in contention for Arsenal. They’re in contention.” – Frank Lampard, speaking on Wednesday
Right now, with Gameweek 1 just two days away, the safer early picks are Grimes and possible bargain Yirenkyi.
Maybe low-priced forward Simms’ two pre-season goals have earned him a starting spot, while Awoniyi adapts – but the medium-term prospects look shaky.
