Coventry City may be celebrating their Championship title victory, but they have already received a sobering warning about life in the Premier League.

However, the hard work now begins as Doug King and his team must assemble a roster capable of defying the odds and surviving at the top table.

Indeed, longstanding Coventry supporter Richard Keys has mentioned last season’s promoted sides, Sunderland and Burnley, while discussing what the club should do in the transfer market.

Coventry City told to replicate Sunderland transfer example – or risk relegation!

Sunderland have beaten the odds in the Premier League this season, having been promoted via the playoff lottery last season and now sitting comfortably in the middle of the league.Burnley, on the other hand, did not invest as much as Sunderland and have suffered under Scott Parker, being relegated to the Championship almost immediately.

When the Black Cats were promoted, they were expected to finish in the bottom three, and rightfully so.

However, their owner, Kyril Louis-Dreyfus, with the help of football directors Florian Ghisolfi and Kristjaan Speakman, who has since left, was able to bring in a slew of excellent players from throughout Europe, practically all of whom have had a good impact at the Stadium of Light.

The Wearsiders invested almost £150 million on 14 new players, and Keys believes Coventry should follow suit to maintain their top-flight status.I’d accept 17th now. I think we have some good players, but are they all good enough for the Premier League? Who knows. “That’s part of the puzzle,” he stated on his blog.I would go to any length to maintain Rushworth, but it’s important to remain realistic.Owner Doug King has a simple choice: spend £100 million like Sunderland or nothing like Burnley. The outcome would most likely be the same as it has been for those two teams this season.

The truth about Sunderland, Burnley, and Leeds United’s spending

Keys is accurate that Sunderland spent significantly more than Burnley, but the Clarets did spend just about £100 million, according to Sky Sports, so it may not be how much you spend, but how you spend it.

The Black Cats defied the trend by combing Europe for relatively cheap deals, signing Robin Roefs, Nordi Mukiele, Omar Alderete, and Reinildo for a total £34.9 million.

The point is, the North East club spent their money smartly, hiring Roma’s director of football to entice players to the Stadium of Light.

On the other hand, Ipswich Town, who spent more than £100 million the previous season, according to BBC Sport, chose to spend their money on Championship players with higher asking prices.

Clearly, this has aided the Tractor Boys’ efforts to return to the Premier League on their first attempt, but it has not aided their survival.

It’s nearly worth noting that Leeds United spent about £5 million more than Burnley, and they’re in a good position to remain up right away.

They also used the European market wonderfully, bringing in Anton Stach, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Noah Okafor, among others, who have all played important roles in their survival bid.

So, while Keys is correct that King must spend heavily to remain in the Premier League, he would be prudent to follow Sunderland and Leeds’ lead and buy European talent for significantly less.

That way, the Sky Blues may sign more players for less money rather than paying exorbitant fees for English talent.

What did Doug King say about summer spending?

King has obviously spoken about the importance of retaining the club’s identity, and he has already mentioned Sunderland and Leeds’ spending, implying that he does not want to dismantle Coventry’s team but rather follow the Peacocks’ lead and keep a core group of players from the title-winning side in the starting lineup.

The West Midlands club has a number of excellent players around whom they may construct a side, like Jack Rudoni, Bobby Thomas, and, possibly, Carl Rushworth, but in order to survive, they will need to add more quality to their roster.

Only time will tell what he decides to do, but the club must be astute if they are to add quality, not just quantity, ahead of their Premier League comeback.