AS SUPPORTERS, we all keep up-to-date with the latest transfer gossip and it is no surprise to see the Sky Blues linked with various players at this time of year, but one area I would like the club to avoid is the loan market.
This season Aidy Boothroyd has made just two loan signings. The first was Danny Ward from Bolton who failed to impress and the second was Iain Turner who was drafted in to cover Keiren Westwood at the beginning of the season.
Ward, like many Premier League youngsters wanting first-team football, was billed to be the next big thing, but the simple fact is he couldn't cut in the Championship quite like he did in League One for Swindon Town last season.
Perhaps his performances are the reason why Boothroyd has ignored the possibly of recruiting other players on loan or perhaps he looked at previous regimes and how unsuccessful loan players have been in recent years.
Last season former manager Chris Coleman made no fewer than eight short-term signings. Jack Cork and Patrick van Aanholt were beneficial and made an impact but others such as Freddie Sears, Leon Barnett and Gary Madine proved to be a waste of time.
A lot of previous managers were forced into making loan signings because of the club's financial state but under Boothroyd that has all changed, but that’s not to say they are all bad.
We have picked up some impressive players over the years, many of which have moved onto bigger and better things. Gary Caldwell, Stephen Warnock and more recently Jordan Henderson (pictured) immediately spring to mind.
When you look at the impact Henderson made at the club you can understand why Premier League clubs allow their future stars to gain first team football elsewhere.
The versatile midfielder made a real impact at the Ricoh Arena by helping the club progress to the FA Cup quarter-final and left to quickly establish himself as a first-team regular for Sunderland the following season.
At the beginning of December, the Sky Blues manager ruled out the need for loan signings and he has certainly backed his comments up by investing time and trust in the club's youth academy.
Boothroyd gambled when he gave Nathan Cameron a run of games at the start of the season, but it paid off and now the 19-year-old is now beginning to show real signs of quality.
He has talked for weeks about the potential of youngster Conor Thomas and on Saturday he gave him his much anticipated debut and the 17-year-old looks set to feature more this season.
The fact that players like young Conor Thomas are being given an opportunity speaks volumes of what Aidy Boothroyd is trying to create at the club and long may he avoid the loan market and continue to have faith in Coventry's young hopefuls.
