COVENTRY City have signed seven new players and handed out two professional contracts to complete the club’s under-21 squad for the 2026/27 season.
The club recently appointed former captain Liam Kelly as under-21s boss who replaces Mark Delaney in the role for the upcoming campaign.
Coventry’s under-21 side is made up of academy graduates who have signed their first professional contracts as well as several new additions.
The Sky Blues have signed seven teenagers ahead of the 2026/27 season including goalkeeper Jack Ruddy and centre-back Victor Madu from Norwich City.
Ruddy is the son of former Norwich and England goalkeeper John with the 18-year-old shot-stopper hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Fellow 18-year-old Madu has also made the move to the Coventry Building Society Arena from Norwich and featured nine times for the Canaries in the under-18 Premier League last season.
Coventry have also signed 18-year-old centre-back Jimmy Holman from Eastbourne Town.
Holman featured in the English Schools’ FA under-18 schoolboys squad for an international fixture against Wales in May earlier this year.
Central midfielder Billy-Ray Cullinane arrives from Brighton and Hove Albion.
The 18-year-old scored one goal in 21 appearances for the Seagulls at the under-18 level last season.
And 18-year-old winger Nsemi Bassega has joined the Sky Blues from Wycombe Wanderers after starting out in Southampton’s academy.
Another winger, Harrison Gray, has joined Coventry from Swindon Town after the 18-year-old spent time on loan at Melksham Town, Weymouth and Real Bedford last season.
And striker Elijah Briscoe has made the move to the Sky Blues from Premier League and Midlands rivals Aston Villa.
The 18-year-old scored one goal and provided one assist in eight appearances for Villa’s under-18s side last season.
Coventry have also handed first professional contracts to 18-year-old starlets Eliot Meredith and Tionne Critchlow-Woyo.
Goalkeeper Meredith joined Coventry in 2016 and has worked his way through the age groups at the club.
He played in both of the club’s FA Youth Cup games last season and has represented Wales up to under-19 level.
Full-back Critchlow-Woyo joined the Sky Blues in 2024 and also played in both of Coventry’s FA Youth Cup games last term.
The right-sided player also featured for Coventry’s under-21s in the Premier League Cup.
The seven signings, along with Meredith and Critchlow-Woyo, complete a 21-player squad for the 2026/27 campaign.
Coventry’s under-21 squad already contains George Shepherd, Shay Dunn, Joshua Gordon, MacKenzie Stretton, Oscar Varney , Aidan Dausch, Tristen Batanwi, Elliot Betjemann, Harvey Broad, Riccardo Di Trolio and David Mantle.
Under-21 player Isaac Moore is also part of the squad but will spend the season on loan at League Two side Walsall.
