Coventry City should not regret missing out on Mjallby’s Abdoulie Manneh, who is poised to join Birmingham City.

It had been reported that the Sky Blues were interested in signing the attacker, who was a crucial member of the Mjallby team that startled Swedish football by winning the title last season.

Coventry were impressed by his exploits, but Birmingham are currently in prime position to recruit the Gambian.

Coventry City endorsed Frank Lampard early on in the January window.

Coventry, on the other hand, has remained busy in the market, signing Yang Min-hyuk and Romain Esse on loan from Spurs and Crystal Palace, respectively.

That will have been a significant lift for Lampard, as despite Coventry’s excellent performance thus far, the club lacks depth, and it is evident that bringing in attacking reinforcements was a priority.

Obviously, Manneh would have been a different acquisition in the sense that he would have been a permanent addition, and at 21, he could have developed into a significant figure for the Sky Blues in the long run.

However, when asked by FLW if this was a squandered chance for the club, Coventry fan pundit Chris was confident that they would not regret not signing Manneh, and he commended the recruitment team for their efforts.

“To be honest, I’m not worried that we didn’t sign Manneh. I had entirely forgotten about him; his name had appeared out of nowhere, no one had heard of him, and no other teams were associated with him.

“Fair play to Birmingham for signing a player with whom we were briefly linked. I’m sure that will be something for their supporters to brag about for whatever reason! He had a successful season in Sweden, scoring seven goals and assisting four times – despite the fact that the season there is shorter.

“But I believe our business in this window already outweighs signing a player in whom no other team has expressed any interest.

“I’m overjoyed with the signing of Esse, who impressed in his debut FA Cup appearance for us. Also, Yang Min-hyuk looked fantastic against Stoke, so it would have been nice to sign him on a permanent basis, but it’s a big risk to buy a random Gambian winger from the Swedish division who had never been mentioned in English football – no one knew who he was.

“We don’t even know if the link was substantial, but I’m much happier that we’ve got two players in on loan who know the league, have experienced the league, and, in the case of Esse, who has performed very well in the Championship for Millwall over a couple of seasons.”

Coventry City are right to hunt for short-term players to get into the Premier League.

Manneh’s expected arrival should excite Birmingham fans, since he was a crucial figure in Mjallby’s extraordinary narrative and is ready to take the next step in his career.

So it will be intriguing to see how his career progresses, and the Blues will have great expectations for him in the future.

However, you can see why Coventry fans wouldn’t be too concerned. The reality is that promotion is the main goal this season, and the January window is all about improving the squad to ensure Lampard’s side moves up.

On that front, it makes sense to bring in Yang Min-hyuk and Esse, who have both demonstrated their abilities in the Championship and will be able to have an effect in the coming months without having to settle in.

Then, if Coventry improves, their financial condition will improve dramatically, and they will be looking for an entirely different type of player.

So, Manneh to Birmingham is probably best for all sides right now, and Coventry will believe they have done more than enough to assist Lampard, with potentially more fresh additions on the way.