FLW contrasts the Sky Blues’ playing group’s commercial value with that of their primary competitor, Leicester City.
The competition between Coventry City and Leicester City in the EFL Championship this season has reignited the animosity between the two Midlands teams.
The two teams faced off in the M69 derby on the first day of the season for the first time since 2012. Enzo Maresca’s team outclassed the Sky Blues, who lost 2-1 after a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall brace overturned Kyle McFadzean’s opening goal.
Coventry came close to replacing Leicester in the Premier League but were defeated by Luton Town in the play-off final back in May after two promotions from League Two back to the second tier since the 2017–18 season.
Leicester’s nine-year uninterrupted stint in the Premier League came to an end with an 18th-place finish in the top division last season, and now rivalry between the teams is at an all-time high.
Mark Robins was successful in bringing 11 new players to the CBS Arena during the summer transfer window, while also authorizing the high-profile departures of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer to Sporting Lisbon and Sheffield United, respectively.
Oostende KVgue World used data from Transfermarkt to compare Coventry’s market value to that of Leicester, their nearest competitors, when the transfer window closed on September 1st.
What is the overall market value of Coventry City?
This season, the Sky Blues have a 23-man roster with a total market value of just over £53 million.
Right-back Milan van Ewijk, a recent summer acquisition from Heerenveen of the Eredivisie, is the highest-paid player on the active roster.
The 23-year-old has appeared in each of the first five games of the new season, and in the Sky Blues’ most recent 3-3 draw with Watford, he scored his first goal for the team in spectacular fashion with a 30-yard free kick.
Van Ewijk, who has experience in the Dutch top division and has represented the Netherlands at the Under-21 level, is worth £7 million.
The recent additions of Haji Wright and Yasin Ayari, both of whom are valued at £6 million, are not far behind.
The more seasoned pros Ben Sheaf (£3.8 million), Callum O’Hare (£3.5 million), Jake Bidwell (£2 million), Josh Eccles (£2 million), and Jamie Allen (£1.2 million) all attract fair salaries. Ellis Simms, a fellow newcomer from Everton, is at £4 million.
How does it compare to the market worth of Leicester City?
Leicester has a 28-man roster at their disposal compared to Coventry, and after keeping the majority of the team that was demoted from the top division, the Foxes are financially far ahead of their Championship rivals. Despite losing some important players, the exodus could have been worse, as the table below demonstrates.
The overall market worth of the entire playing group, which is more than four times as much as their Midlands counterparts, is a remarkable £252 million, in addition to earning their first round of parachute payments from the Premier League.
Wilfred Ndidi and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who each receive fees of £25 million, are the two most expensive players.
In addition to Wout Faes ($20 million), James Justin ($20 million), Kelechi Iheanacho ($18 million), and Patson Daka ($18 million), there are also eight-figure valuations for Harry Souttar ($15 million), Conor Coady ($12 million), Cesare Casadei ($12 million), Ricardo Pereira ($10 million), Harry Winks ($10 million), and Callum Doyle ($10 million).
With Leicester one of the heavyweights to drop back down to the second tier after a lengthy stay in the Premier League, it is hardly a surprise to see the money from their squad blow Coventry out of the water alongside many other Championship clubs
The Sky Blues’ chances of promotion will, of course, decrease as a result, but they showed the division last season that you can still be very competitive with smart hiring and solid teamwork.
Robins will be more determined than ever to bring Premier League football to the Coventry fans for the first time since 2001 after learning from the experience.
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