Coventry City are closing in on a return to the Premier League with one man tipped to play an important role
Brian Dick Reach Football Correspondent
07:00, 13 Mar 2026
Matt Grimes of Coventry City(Image: Ryan Browne/Shutterstock)
Jay Bothroyd believes Matt Grimes is certain to be a crucial part of Coventry City’s team when they reach the Premier League – whoever they bring into the club.
The Sky Blues are currently eight points clear of second and nine ahead of third-placed Millwall with only nine matches remaining.
While Frank Lampard and his players won’t proclaim themselves promoted yet, many pundits have already anointed them champions.
Bothroyd played for the Sky Blues from 2000-03 and was a fringe player in the Gordon Strachan team that went down in 2001. He went on to score 17 times in 83 games before moving to Perugia.
The former striker is relishing the prospect of City returning to the top flight – and sees Grimes as a key player.
“I want see Coventry back in the Premier League,” he told Sky Sports. “The last time they were was when I was there, so it’s been a long time coming.
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“But with that squad they’ve got right now, they’re dominating football matches, they’re controlling the tempo, they’re scoring goals, difficult to break down.
“They had that little blip, but now they’re back full steam ahead. They’re playing great football.
“When I spoke to him [Frank Lampard] after the Middlesbrough game, he was actually saying ‘We just need to keep doing what has got us in this position now’, which is keep believing, keep probing, keep doing the simple things, and it’ll see them through. Preston has been another example of that.
“They kept it really simple, they had a game plan, I think they’ve seen Preston’s weaknesses with set pieces, they’ve exploited that, they’ve had eight corners, 25 shots, they’ve dominated this game.
“They went through that blip. But now they’re playing with confidence, they’re controlling tempo, they’re strong, best in the league.
“There’s a lot going really well now for Coventry and I think they’re going to get over the line now. I’m comfortable to say I think they’re going to get promoted.
“They’re in a great position right now. I can’t see them being caught now. They’re playing great football, they’re playing with confidence again, they’re making the game look easy.
“Grimes is fantastic in that midfield area. He’s probably the one player as well I’ll look at and say ‘Regardless of who they sign going into the Premier League, he will probably start’. He’s got that kind of Premiership class.”
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