Frank Lampard facing Premier League promotion blow amid ‘bombshell’ offer from Turkish giants

Coventry City face a battle to retain the services of one of their star players during the January transfer window.

The Sky Blues have made a blistering start to the season under Frank Lampard and are top of the Championship heading into the Boxing Day fixtures, six points clear of second-placed Middlesbrough and 11 above Ipswich as they look to end their lengthy spell away from the Premier League.

Getty

Haji Wright has played a key role in Coventry’s flying form under Lampard having scored eight goals and provided one assist for the Midlands side.

And Wright’s Championship form has attracted the interest from Turkish Super Lig giants Besiktas.

The Black Eagles are enduring a sub-par league season and find themselves in fifth place, 13 points behind rivals Galatasaray, after the opening 17 games of the campaign.

Former Chelsea man Tammy Abraham is currently Besiktas’ top scorer with seven league goals to his name but the Turkish side are keen to supplement the England international with the capture of the USA forward.

Wright has previous experience in the Super Lig, having excelled with Antalyaspor, where he scored 29 league goals in 60 appearances across two seasons with the Turkish side.

That form saw Coventry spend a club-record €9m to sign Wright as a replacement for Viktor Gyokeres back in 2023, and European football broadcaster Andy Brassell told talkSPORT he sees no reason for the Sky Blues to cash in on the 27-year-old in the New Year.

“Unless they’re getting an amazing replacement that absolutely blows all of our minds, who is completely from left field and whom we’re not expecting, then why would they sell Haji Wright now?”

Brassell went on to say that he doesn’t think Wright should leave the club in the winter, adding: “From Haji Wright’s perspective, you’re on the brink of going to the Premier League.

“Obviously, he would get a huge wage rise going to Besiktas. But otherwise, it’s difficult to see what really appeals.

Getty

Getty

“They don’t have European football for the rest of this season. The club is in quite a volatile place because the fans are not pleased about how things have gone so far this season.

“The fact that they haven’t been able to keep up with Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, despite the fact that they invested a lot in the team last summer.

“So, I think Haji Wright would be wise to hold fire. Maybe he won’t even get the option to make that decision because, as I said, I think it would be very, very difficult to persuade Coventry to sell
him.”

Coventry have endured a dip in recent weeks having won only one of their last four, a record they’ll aim to improve upon when they take on 19th-placed Swansea City on Friday.