Coventry City were left frustrated in their efforts to try and secure the signing of forward James Collins this summer, with the Sky Blues having been turned down in favour of Cardiff City, per Coventry Live.

The report reveals that the Sky Blues were interested in making a move for Collins who was available on a free transfer after leaving Luton Town at the end of the campaign. The forward is thought to be a boyhood supporter of Coventry and Mark Robins pursued a move to try and bring him to the club ahead of the other sides that were interested.

It is being reported that Coventry had agreed to match the wages that Collins wanted to receive to make the move to the club, but eventually, he turned down the chance to sign for the Sky Blues.

That will be a major frustration for Robins’ side with them losing out on a player who has fired in ten league goals in 42 appearances this term in the English second tier.

Coventry Live report that in the end, Collins was convinced to make the move to Cardiff based on the strength of his relationship with Mick McCarthy. The experienced boss handed the forward the chance to play for the Republic of Ireland during his latest spell in charge of the national team.

The verdict

This is a major blow for the Sky Blues, and it seems that they went all out to try and persuade Collins to make the move this summer. That at least shows that the club’s board are ready to back Robins with the finances he needs to bring in the players that he feels can help improve the squad during the summer transfer window.

It must have been very challenging for Collins to turn down the chance to make the move to the club he supported as a boy. However, McCarthy appears to have a very strong relationship with him from their time together at international level and he obviously feels that the Cardiff boss will be able to get the best out of him next season.

Coventry will have already moved on to other potential targets and they will need to find someone like Collins who can come in and add some goals upfront. With the right sort of attacking addition to the squad then they have a chance of kicking on from a solid first season back in the Championship.