A season that began with so much promise for the long-suffering Coventry City fans, has petered out into the all to familiar feeling of promotion being a distant dream.

The Sky Blues boast an unwanted record of having not finished in the top six of a division for 46 years, and it now looks like Mowbray will have to wait another year to break that.

As is the case with most clubs in League One, the summer promises to provoke a large overhaul of the Coventry City squad.

A great deal of the starting eleven consists of loanees from the Premier League and experienced players on the wrong side of 30.

The Coventry City side starting next season will almost certainly look different from the on that finishes this campaign.

It is also worth noting that the budget at the Ricoh Arena should be reasonably large for Mowbray should the owners allow it, which is very questionable given their past record.

The club currently has the third best home attendances in the division, and there should be money from the James Maddison sale to be reinvested into the playing staff.

It will be interesting to see if the financial advantage can be turned into a playing squad to finally give Coventry fans something to cheer about.

FLW's Tom Percival looks at THREE players Coventry City should look to move on, and THREE they could potentially target over the summer......

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PRESS THE IMAGE BELOW TO SEE THE THREE IN, THREE OUT!

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OUT:

 

Conor Thomas

Conor ThomasConor Thomas

Unfortunately for the academy graduate, he has ultimately failed to deliver on the promise he had as a youngster and a change of scenery may be best for the midfielder's development.

He was once heralded as a potential Premier League player, with a loan move to Liverpool and tuition by Steven Gerrard in 2011, underlying how highly he was rated.

However he featured sporadically last season, and has been injured for almost all of this campaign, meaning that his future at the club seems bleak.

Mowbray has already moved to strengthen his central midifield for next season with the signings of Andy Rose and Vladimir Gadzhev, so it's hard to see where Thomas fits in his plans.

Sam Ricketts

Sam RickettsSam Ricketts

The Welsh international has had a poor season by his standards, and has lost the support of a great deal of the fan base with his below par performances.

A central defence partnership of Ricketts and Reda Johnson showed much promise at the start of the season, but since the injury to the talismanic Beninese, Ricketts has looked a shadow of that player.

The experienced defender is now 34 years of age, and Mowbray may be tempted to free up these wages as he looks to build a more stable squad that can stay together for a number of years.

Marc-Antoine Fortune

Marc-Antoine FortuneMarc-Antoine Fortune

Similarly to Ricketts, Fortune arrived at the Ricoh Arena with a reputation above League One level, but has failed to have a big enough impact on the division this year.

Just 3 goals for the Sky Blues isn't enough for player with Premier League and Champions League experience behind him.

It would be a surprise to see Fortune at Coventry next year, but Mowbray certainly rates him having brought him to West Brom and Celtic previously, so there is still a possibility.

Fortune and Ricketts are not the only experienced heads on the chopping block this summer, with Darius Henderson and Stephen Hunt also yet to prove their true worth at the Ricoh Arena.

IN:

 

Jodi Jones

Jodi JonesJodi Jones

Coventry fans are led to believe this deal is pretty much signed, with the exciting teenager on loan until the end of the season, before the permanent contract can be signed when the transfer window opens. This will be great news for Coventry fans who will be delighted with what they've seen so far.

The Dagenham teenager has looked very impressive in recent weeks, and with Mowbray indicating that he has signed a 4 year contract with the club, this deal could signal a real statement of intent.

Charlton were believed to have had a £300,000 bid turned down in January so Coventry are already putting that Maddison money to good use by investing in the future.

Rueben Reid

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Linked with the Sky Blues over the last year or so, Mowbray may be tempted to prise him away from Plymouth despite not having the most spectacular of campaigns so far.

Coventry will be in desperate search for strikers as it seems highly unlikely they'll be able to keep hold of Adam Armstrong for another season.

Reid has a reasonable record for the Devon side and may be tempted to have another crack at League should the Pilgrims fall short of their goal of promotion.

Mowbray likes to play attacking football so Reid should get plenty of ammunition to prove that he's a better League 1 player than previous stints would suggest.

 

Matthew Kilgallon

Matthew Kilgallon

Tony Mowbray clearly likes a blend of youth and experience in his side, so may be tempted once again to pick up a defender who has been there and done it. Kilgallon has been a little more of a bit-part player at Blackburn this season, and with his contract up in the summer, Lambert may be tempted to let him go.

Although not as quick as he once was, Kilgallon's ability to read the game may be more than adequate for League 1 level. He is also 2 years younger than Sam Ricketts, so would have a little more longevity in Tony Mowbray's plans. Coventry have really struggled with defensive injuries this season, so this is a market Mowbray will want to act quickly in.

Coventry fans.....What do you think? Do you agree with these suggestions? What players would you like to see your team sign? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!