Coventry vs. Sunderland: Frank Lampard needs one thing to keep Sky Blues in Premier League

Coventry City manager Frank Lampard needs 1 happening to guarantee that the Sky Blues stay successful the Premier League for the 2027-28 season, ex-Sky Blues striker Mark Hateley has exclusively told Sports Mole.

Lampard's men big Sunderland successful Saturday's Premier League basement battle, which pits the 19th-placed Sky Blues against the 20th-ranked Black Cats, who are 1 constituent worse disconnected successful the Premier League table.

Coventry person taken maximum points against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest this word but caput into Saturday's clash connected the backmost of successive defeats, going down 3-1 to Tottenham Hotspur and 1-0 to Fulham past clip out.

However, Lampard's occupation is not nether immoderate superior menace contempt Coventry's perilous presumption successful the table, arsenic helium is lone the bookies' seventh-favourite to beryllium sacked aft Pierre Sage, Michael Carrick, Alvaro Arbeloa, Regis Le Bris, Unai Emery and Oliver Glasner.

Nevertheless, if Lampard is to win astatine the CBS Arena this season, Hateley has highlighted the 1 happening the Chelsea fable needs - an proprietor consenting to backmost him successful the transportation market.

Coventry "have to invest" successful Frank Lampard to enactment successful Premier League

“Frank is simply a bully manager who knows the crippled wrong out," Hateley said. "You person to put successful him. He grew up astir shot and understands much than simply the value of winning matches.

"He knows astir everything that goes into getting results, including keeping the group’s spirits up. But helium needs an proprietor who volition backmost him and springiness him the tools to bash the job.

“I accidental this to businesspeople who travel into football: successful your ain businesses, you acceptable targets and justice radical against them implicit an agreed period. If those targets are not met, you marque a decision. You bash not support changing everything successful the middle.

“You person to put and springiness the manager a chance. If you get the assignment wrong, the ownership has to instrumentality work too. Frank deserves that backing. Coventry are ne'er going to beryllium buying for £100m players, but bringing amended players into the radical gives him a amended accidental of getting results.”

Coventry spent £138.6m connected caller signings during the 2026 summertime transportation window, but a mates of high-profile arrivals person made small to nary impact, specified arsenic Loum Tchaouna, Gustavo Hamer and Yann Gboho.

Tchaouna - a £20m signing from Burnley - has been near retired of Coventry's past 3 Premier League matchday squads, portion Gboho (£10.3m) is yet to marque his Premier League debut, and Hamer has played conscionable 48 minutes arsenic a substitute.

However, the Sky Blues harvest trusted by Lampard person scored conscionable six Premier League goals this play - the joint-fewest successful the part alongside Sunderland and Nottingham Forest - and Hateley has implored his erstwhile nine to yet commencement converting their chances.

Coventry vs. Sunderland: Mark Hateley previews "massive" Premier League game

“I was truly disquieted astir Coventry astatine the commencement of the season, but they person picked up a mates of wins recently," Hateley added. "Sunderland person gone the different way. They started truthful good past season, but their caller tally has been difficult.

“These are monolithic games. You tin bring Nottingham Forest into that speech too. Coventry and Forest person been creating chances, but they request to enactment the shot successful the net.

“At this signifier of the season, you request to cod points arsenic rapidly arsenic possible. Coventry’s past crippled of the play is astatine location against Forest, which could beryllium interesting.”

As good arsenic scoring a joint-low six goals, Coventry's 7.6 Expected Goals is the worst xG successful the league; Hull City are 2nd from bottommost with 8.6.

Mark Hateley was speaking to Sports Mole connected behalf of BetWright.