Coventry City exploring move to sign the next Xhaka – Ipswich must do the same

Both Coventry City and Ipswich Town will be facing that age-old conundrum – splash the cash in a desperate pursuit of survival, or stick with those who have helped secure promotion?

Perhaps the real answer, as Sunderland have shown this season, is striking something of a balance, with the likes of Trai Hume and Dan Ballard still central figures under Regis Le Bris, albeit with new faces such as Brian Brobbey and Granit Xhaka raising the standards at the Stadium of Light.

Xhaka, signed on a total £17m deal last summer, has been transformative for the Black Cats this season, the Wearside outfit still in with a shout of European qualification following their playoff success a year ago.

It’s been a remarkable rise, and Xhaka, swiftly instilled as captain, has been central to that, showcasing to both Frank Lampard and Kieran McKenna the benefits of proven Premier League quality.

Coventry could learn a lesson from Ipswich’s last Premier League campaign

It is a testament to Ipswich that, unlike Luton Town or Leicester City of late, they have been able to spring back into the top-flight at the first attempt, rather than nosediving even further following last season’s relegation.

McKenna and co appear to have benefited from their recruitment drive that campaign, having cherry-picked the best talent that the Championship and EFL had to offer, such as Jack Clarke, Jaden Philogene and Dara O’Shea.

That trio have since proven integral in 2025/26, with Clarke and Philogene scoring 29 goals between them, while O’Shea made the second-most appearances of any player in the squad in all competitions.

The recruitment of last season laid the foundations for McKenna to go again this time around, while gambling on the likes of Liam Delap and Omari Hutchinson proved fruitful, amid their subsequent sales to Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.

Such astute dealings helped to maintain stability, although the only caveat is that the Tractor Boys did fall well short of survival in the Premier League, perhaps lacking that genuine top-flight experience.

The loan signing of Kalvin Phillips bucked that trend, although the former Euro 2020 was well short of fitness and confidence by the time of the move, with a more statement deal perhaps needed for McKenna this time around.

For Lampard and co too, they will need to find that balance between assembling a squad that could come up again in future, but also ensuring there is enough proven quality to have a good crack at staying up instead.

Coventry and Ipswich could battle for their own Xhaka-like signing

At Sunderland, Le Bris showed loyalty to the likes of Hume and Ballard, yet was ruthless with others, shifting promotion-winning captain, Dan Neil, to the periphery, following the statement signing of Xhaka.

The Swiss star has since scored and assisted seven Premier League goals, picking up where he left off after leaving Arsenal for Bayer Leverkusen in 2023.

It was a deal that raised eyebrows, but it’s certainly paid off for Le Bris, with Coventry perhaps exploring a similar move of their own with regard to ex-Liverpool star, Gini Wijnaldum.

As was reported last week, Lampard’s side are weighing up a one-year deal for the Al-Ettifaq skipper, with the 35-year-old interested in a Premier League return.

Ipswich haven’t been linked directly yet themselves, although they would be wise to move into the race too, with Wijnaldum still in good nick, having scored and assisted 23 goals in Saudi Arabia this season.

The standard of the Saudi Pro League is up for debate, although, like Xhaka, both clubs could gamble on Wijnaldum’s prior Premier League experience, having previously shone for Newcastle United and Liverpool.

His solitary season at St James’ Park in 2015/16 yielded 11 goals in 40 games, while he went on to win the Champions League and Premier League at Liverpool, making 237 appearances under Jurgen Klopp’s watch.

The now-veteran midfielder was a central part of Klopp’s side in that era, memorably scoring twice as the Reds produced that stunning comeback against Barcelona at Anfield in 2019.

He subsequently endured a difficult time of it at Paris Saint-Germain after leaving Liverpool on a free transfer in 2021, although his record for Ettifaq is still encouraging, boasting 54 goals and assists in his first 100 games for the club.

The Rotterdam-born machine has already made 217 Premier League appearances in the past too, ensuring he could be a welcome figure in either dressing room, be it at Ipswich or Coventry.

For a possible bargain, considering he is out of contract this summer, Wijnaldum could be the next returning talent to light up the Premier League, like Xhaka has this season.

It’s an era obsessed with young, high-potential signings under the age of 25, yet sometimes, a sprinkling of experience can make all the difference.