Window Watch: Ward left to kick his heels

A quiet week on the transfer front for Coventry City after a flurry of deals were completed in the opening seven days of the transfer window.

The club had been hoping to seal a deal for Elliott Ward to join Southampton and therefore get a (presumably) high earner off the wage bill for the final months of his contract.

Saints however, who splashed out over £1m to sign centre-half Jose Fonte from Crystal Palace last week, pulled out of that deal and have since landed two more defenders in the shape of Danny Seaborne from Exeter and Norwich City’s Jon Otsemobor.

Two players who have featured on loan for the Sky Blues in recent weeks face a wait to see if they will sign on at the Ricoh Arena permanently.

Carlisle United, having lost striker Vincent Pericard will now give Gary Madine a chance to impress at Brunton Park.

Boss Greg Abott told BBC Radio Cumbria: ‘We need to get him back and see what his attitude is like.

‘(We need to) see how he has weathered since he has been away at Coventry.’

Leon Barnett meanwhile is still a City player and both he and Chris Coleman are keen to make the arrangement longer.

West Brom manager Roberto Di Matteo, while not ruling out such a deal, said this week that Barnett may still be needed at The Hawthorns.

A cheque for £350,000 will be winging its way to CV6 however following a tribunal decision that Chelsea must pay an intial £3.5m to Manchester City for striker Daniel Sturridge, who began his fledgling career at the Sky Blues academy.