Ben Sheaf’s future at Coventry City “North of £10 million” if Sky Blues are not promoted

One of Coventry’s better players this year has been Ben Sheaf, who other teams may be after.

This post is a part of Football League World’s “The Verdict” series, in which FLW writers provide their own thoughts on the newest breaking news, teams, players, managers, possible signings, and other topics.

After their incredible 3-2 victory over Wolves at Molineux over the past several days, Coventry City has received a lot of plaudits; yet, one individual has gone unnoticed in their recent season-long comeback.

After numerous golden opportunities to double their lead, the Sky Blues appeared to have blown a 1-0 lead at Molineux. However, Ellis Simms’ equalizer and Haji Wright’s skillful finish sent them to Wembley for an incredible FA Cup semi-final matchup against Manchester United.

After a sluggish start to the Championship season, they have had an incredible season and, with a game remaining, are only four points behind Norwich City. They still have high expectations of making the playoffs.

However, although players like Wright, Simms, Callum O’Hare, and Liam Kitching will receive all the attention, Ben Sheaf is a guy who is just as important but doesn’t receive as much attention.

One of Coventry City’s most overlooked stars is Ben Sheaf.

Sheaf played 30 games in the Championship after joining the Sky Blues on loan from Arsenal in 2020. He then impressed enough to sign a long-term contract at the CBS Arena.

He has since been a key component of Mark Robins’ plans and was a constant in the team the previous season when Coventry lost to Luton Town in the play-off final on penalties.

When healthy this season, Sheaf seems to have increased his game even more.

He has captained the team ten times in his twenty-three Championship outings, and his 90-minute performance on his first start following an injury against Wolves speaks volumes about how valuable he is to Robins.

With two years remaining on his deal, Sheaf may attract interest from other teams. FLW’s writers investigate the possibility that, should the Sky Blues miss out on promotion, Sheaf could leave for a better opportunity.

Lancaster, Will

Even though Sheaf has been a key member of Coventry’s team in recent years, consistency is a valuable quality in any organization, much less one that is now experiencing growth like them.

During his tenure in the west Midlands, Mark Robins had a remarkable talent for bringing out the best in players.

Callum O’Hare, Milan van Ewijk, and other players are starting to demonstrate that they are headed in the same direction as players like Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, who rose from very low profile in the Championship to become two of the division’s biggest stars.

Sheaf has evident talent having come up through Arsenal’s Hale End academy, and there is every chance that he would shine in the Premier League should he earn a move away from the Sky Blues if they fail to win promotion.

But as we’ve seen this season with others midfielders who dominated in the Championship last season such as Josh Brownhill and Sander Berge at Burnley – with the latter plying his trade at fellow promotion side Sheffield United last season – alongside various others, it isn’t as easy as first seems.

Sheaf has the luxury of being captain at Coventry when he’s on the field given club captain Liam Kelly’s lack of minutes and that is something he certainly should not take for granted, especially at a vital stage in his career where a lack of minutes elsewhere could seriously diminish his stock.

Ben Wignall

The likes of Callum O’Hare and Haji Wright take the headlines normally for Coventry, but Sheaf just quietly gets along with his business at the base of midfield – aside from his match-winning brace against Sheffield Wednesday back in January that showed his improved attacking nous.

The stats speak for themselves regarding Sheaf’s performances in the last 12 months – ranking against players in 14 other selected top leagues, the 26-year-old ranks highly for tackles, interceptions, progressive passes and successful take-ons per match for players in his position, as showed by FBRef and their percentiles (99 being the top/best).

It will certainly not be going unnoticed by the data analysts that work for bigger clubs, but it’s rare you see Premier League clubs spend massive on defensive midfielders – especially ones from the Championship.

However, Sheaf’s stats are certainly impressive and it wouldn’t be a shock to see some top flight clubs interested in the summer – it’s surely going to take north of £10 million for the Sky Blues to sell Sheaf though.

Coventry can certainly hold their ground in the transfer market and get the best possible deals for players, as they showed last summer with Gyokeres and Hamer, but Sheaf may be harder to replace – I can see Mark Robins being able to keep hold of the midfielder though.