Coventry can now pile more misery on rivals Birmingham as transfer news emerges
Coventry City look set to beat rivals Birmingham City to the loan signing of Brentford’s Frank Onyeka as they close in on a return to the Premier League this season.
Coventry have been the Championship’s outstanding team this season, after they were beaten in the play-off semi-finals by eventual promotion winners Sunderland at the end of the last campaign.
Frank Lampard‘s side have led the way since the first week of the season and remain top of the second-tier as it stands with 52 points from 26 games so far.
Their ambitious Midlands rivals Birmingham have not enjoyed similar success following promotion from League One, as they currently occupy 14th place, despite wanting to stage a playoff push this season.
Both clubs are aiming to make marquee additions to their respective squads in January, and the Sky Blues look well-placed to beat Chris Davies‘ side to the loan capture of Nigerian international Onyeka.
Coventry and Birmingham both targeting Onyeka loan move
A new report from the Daily Mail states that Onyeka is a target for Coventry amid his struggle for game time at Brentford so far this season.
He has made just nine appearances under Keith Andrews in 2025-26, after spending last season out on loan at Bundesliga side Augsburg.
Coventry want to persuade the 28-year-old enforcer to join them on loan in their quest to return to the Premier League, but Birmingham are also making a pitch to sign him for the remainder of the campaign.
Coventry surely set to win Onyeka race and further Birmingham’s woes
Coventry’s form has suffered in recent weeks amid injury issues, but they are still primed to return to the top flight this season, given the quality that Lampard has at his disposal across most positions.
Romain Esse recently joined the Sky Blues on loan from Crystal Palace to add to an attack that has already bagged 15 more than the next highest scoring side, and they are surely set to be an attractive option to players, like Onyeka, who are struggling for Premier League minutes right now.
It certainly would not be a shock to see them beat Birmingham to his signature this month, with Davies’ side having won just one of their last eight league games.
Their lofty ambitions have not been realised in the Championship as yet, with seven points and eight places separating them and the top six and time running out to stage a genuine playoff push.
Boss Davies is under pressure at St Andrew’s right now, and their hopes of another successful campaign look set to take another hit soon, with Onyeka clearly more likely to move to the CBS Arena if he does leave Brentford.