Tottenham set to help Frank Lampard’s Coventry promotion bid as loan star to swap clubs

Coventry City’s promotion hopes have been given an almighty boost.

Talented Tottenham teenager Yang Min-hyeok has been recalled from his loan at Portsmouth and will join the Sky Blues for the remainder of the season, talkSPORT understands.

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It is also understood Coventry have signed Crystal Palace winger Romain Esse for the second half of the campaign.

Esse has featured eight times for Palace’s first team this term but has seen just 40 minutes of Premier League action.

Yang enjoyed a mixed spell at Fratton Park as he started ten of his 16 appearances across all competitions.

He scored three times and registered one assist.

One of his goals came in the Blues’ final match of 2025 as he netted a 98th-minute winner against Charlton Athletic.

His strike came immediately after Charlton bagged a late equaliser at Fratton Park.

Yang’s heroics against Charlton proved to be his final act for Portsmouth having been an unused substitute in the 5-0 defeat against Bristol City on New Year’s Day.

The 19-year-old departs Fratton Park with Portsmouth 21st in the Championship on 25 points, one point clear of the relegation zone.

He will go from a relegation scrap to a promotion push as Coventry sit first with 52 points, eight clear of third-placed Ipswich Town.

Frank Lampard‘s side have been top of the second tier since October as they seek a Premier League return after 25 years away.

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Although the Sky Blues have largely been in fine fettle, a run of two wins from their last eight league fixtures served as a reminder promotion is no guarantee just yet.

In another worrying sign for Coventry, they had not scored two goals or more in a league fixture from November 29 up until a 3-2 loss away to Birmingham City on January 4.

Yang and Esse’s impending arrivals come after Lampard stated he needed extra bodies through the door so his squad can remain fresh for the promotion push.

When asked prior to the Birmingham defeat whether he expected arrivals in January, Lampard replied: “We’ll see, won’t we.

“I think we need help for the squad because I think you only have to look at squads that get to where we want to get to and they’re bigger than ours, and freshness is key.

“And quality, by the way, we can’t just bring in anyone at any point in this football club if you want to get better, you’ve got to bring in people that help and improve. So obviously we’ll talk about that.”

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Lampard also acknowledged his significant lack of wide options following the 3-0 loss to Ipswich, especially given the Tractor Boys were able to bring on Jaden Philogene who they signed from Aston Villa for £20million in January last year.

“We don’t have them (wingers), and that’s a reality,” Lampard said.

“And then I see (Jaden) Philogene come on and you go, ‘OK,’ and that’s it.

“I’m not trying to sound too prickly about it, but it’s a reality at this point.”

Coventry will look to pick up their first win of 2026 when they travel to Stoke City for their FA Cup third round clash on January 10.