Coventry close in on signing of hero from Premier League rival in ninth summer transfer

Coventry City have reportedly agreed a deal to sign centre-back Ethan Pinnock from Brentford.

The 33-year-old looks set to become the newly promoted Sky Blues‘ latest addition of a busy summer transfer window.

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According to The Athletic football correspondent David Ornstein, the deal is worth an initial £5million, rising to £6million with add-ons.

A Brentford hero

A firm fan favourite, Pinnock played a key role Brentford‘s Championship promotion-winning campaign of 2020/21 and remained a regular throughout the Bees’ first four seasons in the Premier League.

But following the appointment of head coach Keith Andrews, Pinnock fell down the pecking order and featured only eight times in all competitions last term.

And with his contract expiring next summer, Brentford appear poised to cash in on the Jamaica international.

Pinnock joined Brentford from Barnsley in 2019, having previously played for non-League sides Dulwich Hamlet and Forest Green Rovers.

One if the Bees’ many success stories when it comes to finding diamonds in the rough, he’s gone on to make 216 appearances for the West London club, scoring 12 goals.

Pinnock was voted Brentford Supporters’ Player of the Year in 2023/24 as the Bees secured a third straight season of top-flight football.

One of his most memorable moments in a Brentford shirt came as he opened the scoring in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Liverpool in September 2021.

He made his debut for Jamaica in 2021 and has since played at the Copa America and CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Pinnock was named on the bench for Brentford’s 3-0 Premier League opening-weekend win over Tottenham on Saturday but didn’t feature.

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Coventry ‘trying to make themselves competitive’

Assuming the move to Coventry goes through, Pinnock will become the Sky Blues’ ninth signing of the summer as they return to the Premier League after 25 years away.

Frank Lampard‘s team began the season with a 3-0 defeat at reigning champions Arsenal, but they’ve made some eye-catching acquisitions to bolster their squad in the aim of avoiding relegation.

They include their club-record signing, highly rated young Ghana midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi, goalkeeper Carl Rushworth after a positive loan spell last season, and former Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi.

“We have tried to strike the balance of working strategically to add to what we already had,” Lampard said of Coventry’s transfer activity ahead of the trip to Arsenal.

“We know the level goes up, so we’re trying to work to make ourselves competitive at the level and we’ll analyse over the next two weeks how the squad’s looking.

Next up for Coventry

Coventry are back in Premier League action on Saturday with their first home game of the campaign against fellow newcomers Hull, who produced a shock 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Saturday.

Before that, the Sky Blues travel to League One Plymouth in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.