Coventry City currently have seven players that are out on respective loan deals away from the Championship side, but how have each of them faired since completing their moves?
Frank Lampard’s side are currently flying high in the Championship, climbing from a relegation scrap to play-off contenders in less than three months and now face an exciting end to the 2024/25 season, with the potential of making the top six for the second time in three campaigns.
With attentions being firmly on the current squad and results on the pitch, it has left some supporters to forget or ignore how the players away from the side have faired this season and what next season could hold for them.
Before we dive into each of the seven loan players, let’s first take a look at who they are…
Which Coventry City players are currently out on loan?
From the list of seven, Justin Obikwu has spent the longest time out on loan, having signed for Grimsby Town on deadline day last summer and will see out the season with the Mariners.
The most recent loan exit saw U21s defender Kain Ryan link-up with seventh-tier side Stourbridge FC following his brief stint with Rushall Olympic in the National League North.
The full list of seven is as follows;
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- Justin Obikwu – Grimsby Town (Expires May 2025)
- Riccardo Di Trolio – Welling United (Expires May 2025)
- Kai Andrews – Motherwell FC (Expires May 2025)
- Luke Bell – Gloucester City (Expires 7th March 2025)
- Aidan Dausch – St. Albans City FC (Expires 8th March 2025*)
- Fabio Tavares – Burton Albion (Expires May 2025)
- Kain Ryan – Stourbridge FC (Expires 21st March 2025*)
* = Loan deals are classed as ‘initial’ which means they could still be extended further.
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Justin Obikwu: Grimsby Town
Kicking off in League Two, U21s striker Justin Obikwu has been in red hot form for Grimsby Town so far this season after re-joining the club in the summer following a previous loan stint under David Artell.
Obikwu may have signed for the Mariners on deadline day, but due to injury he had to wait until October to make his second debut for the club.
It took him just three matches to score his first goal, netting the only strike in a 1-0 away win against Tranmere Rovers. However, since December his form has improved massively and has scored six goals in his last nine matches for Grimsby, including three in his last three appearances.
He missed Saturday’s victory against Fleetwood Town due to an injury – with Artell confirming the player was involved in a car accident. Obikwu signed an undisclosed-length contract with Coventry last summer – but his form could see him make a step up to the third tier next season.
Riccardo Di Trolio: Welling United
Dropping down two divisions for our next entry, but U21s defender Riccardo Di Trolio started the 2024/25 campaign as a regular for Coventry’s youth side, partnering Kain Ryan (more on him shortly).
He had a series of Non-League loans last season but remained with the Sky Blues U21s until late-December where he linked up with National League South side Welling United on an initial one-month loan deal, for the second time after spending a month with them in the 2023/24 campaign.
After making 11 appearances in all competitions this season, he joined the NL South side and immediately made an impression after scoring in his second appearance back at the club.
In all competitions, Di Trolio has played all 1,070 minutes available to him (12 matches) and has scored twice – with his loan spell proving to be extremely successful so far, with his aim now likely to be ensuring Welling’s survival in the sixth tier.
Kai Andrews: Motherwell FC
Unfortunately, the same positivity cannot be shared for Wales U19s international Kai Andrews, who has seemingly struggled to make much of an impact since making the move to Motherwell during the January transfer window.
The 18-year-old was a regular for Coventry’s Championship squad this season, having made the match-day squad 13 times but failed to make a single substitute appearance under Mark Robins or Frank Lampard.
Andrews made his debut immediately for the Scottish Premiership strugglers during a goalless draw against Kilmarnock, before earning his first start in the next game as they slipped to a 3-1 loss against Hibernian.
He’s only featured in two of Motherwell’s five matches following his first start and didn’t feature under new manager Michael Wimmer in the defeat at Dundee United over the weekend, creating an anxiety that this loan spell may not work out as initially suggested.
Luke Bell: Gloucester City
Moving back to another positive note, U21s number one Luke Bell penned a new one-year contract with Coventry City last summer and currently finds himself on loan at seventh-tier side Gloucester City until early-March.
Bell has kept five clean sheets in 10 appearances in all competitions for Coventry City’s U21s so far this season, but was recently loaned out to Gloucester in order to gain valuable first-team experience following the return of former Wales youth international Cian Tyler between the sticks for the Sky Blues.
He made his debut during a 1-1 draw against Baisingstoke Town, but has since improved his clean sheet record and has managed to maintain his current clean sheet to game ratio this season.
In all competitions, Bell has kept two clean sheets in his first four appearances in men’s senior football and has conceded just two goals. His side are currently third in their table and are attempting to secure promotion back to the National League North, but whether his loan deal is extended remains to be seen.
Aidan Dausch: St. Albans City
One player that is extremely highly-rated by Coventry City supporters is American youth international Aidan Dausch, who’s currently applying his trade at National League South side St. Albans City, a team that also contains former Sky Blues duo Shaun Jeffers and Brandon Mason.
Dausch ended the 2023/24 season having made his Championship debut and contributing to 24 goals for the club’s U21s, he put pen to paper on a professional contract over the summer. Before heading out on loan earlier this month, he had contributed to 13 goals in 13 league matches for the U21s.
He made his debut the day after his arrival, playing the full 90 minutes against U21s teammate Riccardo Di Trolio with the game ending in a 1-1 draw. A week later, Dausch scored his first senior goal as he finished off a solo effort during a 1-0 win over Bath City.
Since making the move to the sixth-tier side, Dausch has scored once in five appearances for the club and has made a positive impression in his first proper taste of senior football, and could see his loan deal extended in the coming weeks.
Fabio Tavares: Burton Albion
Penultimately, Portuguese forward Fabio Tavares departed the Sky Blues towards the end of the January transfer window, after he was snapped up by League One side Burton Albion following a frustrating first-half to the campaign.
Tavares struggled with injuries last season but did put in a memorable display against Manchester United in the FA Cup. He had featured twice for the Sky Blues this season but the arrivals of Brandon Thomas-Asante and Norman Bassette saw him fall further down the pecking order.
He made his debut shortly after signing for the Brewers, as he played the final 19 minutes during Burton’s goalless draw against Barnsley earlier this month.
He’s since made three appearances for Burton Albion, but got injured whilst scoring against Bristol Rovers and has missed the club’s last two league matches. After a difficult spell on the sidelines, here’s hoping Tavares makes a quick recovery and is back on the pitch in League One.
Kain Ryan: Stourbridge FC
Coventry’s most recent loan exit saw U21s defender Kain Ryan link up with Stourbridge FC on a one-month loan, with the moving coming out of the blue given the Sky Blues didn’t report the deal unlike the Non-League side.
Ryan joined the Sky Blues from Brighton Hove Albion 12 months ago and has been one of the first names on the team sheet for the U21s this season. In total, Ryan’s made 22 appearances this season, scoring his only goal during a match against Fleetwood Town.
He had a brief loan stint with National League North side Rushall Olympic in December alongside fellow U21s midfielder Charlie Finney but struggled to earn minutes and subsequently returned to the club.
However, he made his debut for the club at the weekend and gained his first assist in the opening minute of their match with Halesowen Town. Unfortunately for Stourbridge, they lost 3-1 with Ryan playing 82 minutes.
Coventry fans, what are your thoughts on each of these players and how they’ve fared so far?