FRANK Lampard believes Coventry City’s recent loan signings add further competitiveness to his squad as the Sky Blues prepare to play Stoke City in the FA Cup.
Coventry signed Romain Esse on loan from Crystal Palace and Yang Min-hyeok on loan from Tottenham Hotspur on deals until the end of the season.
The early business bolsters Lampard’s squad following a run of two wins in eight matches which has seen the club’s lead at the top of the Championship table cut to six points.
And Lampard believes the two arrivals will give him more options out wide and add further competition for places in the squad.
Lampard said: “I know Romain from his time at Millwall. Having played against him, he was a big threat and a talented player.
“He’s gone to Crystal Palace and been exposed to Premier League training and minutes.
“He’s very hungry to come here and do well. That’s the sort of players I want.
“With [Yang] he’s had two loans in the Championship so that experience is great and they’ll offer us a lot.
“We want our wingers to be dynamic and be able to create with speed. It’s to give us options and having that competitive feeling in the squad.
“The age is not a problem for me. They’ve got experience of playing in the Championship. I like working with young players.”
Lampard refused to be drawn on the club’s plans for the remainder of the January transfer window.
However, the Sky Blues head coach insists Coventry will sign more players in January if the right deals present themselves to the club.
Lampard added: “I’m very happy, I’m happy we’ve done our business early with both of them.
“It’s an area of the squad we knew we needed to strengthen. We’ve got good players in wide areas but we’ve played them a lot.
“It’s an area where there’s a lot of high intensity needed to be on top of your game and have impact.
“There’s a long way to go in the window. If we can help the squad to make it stronger then we will and we’ll look at it.”
Coventry take a break from league action this weekend with a trip to Stoke in the third round of the FA Cup.
Lampard won the competition with Chelsea on four occasions which included scoring the winner against Everton in the 2008/09 final.
And Lampard believes a break from the pressure of leading the Championship table will benefit his players.
Lampard said: “One my first FA Cup memories was watching Coventry win the FA Cup.
“I love the FA Cup, I always have done since being a young boy watching it.
“I was lucky enough to win it. I love it and understand the passion of it and what it means to the fans.
“We’ve felt and seen the pressure of being top of the league by a margin.
“It’s a different pressure to chasing and a new pressure for a lot of the players.
“To have a week away from that feeling is good but we have to get back to it against Leicester.”
The Coventry boss also provided an update on midfielder Jamie Allen who missed the club’s defeat against Birmingham City due to a close family bereavement.
Lampard said: “Jamie’s doing okay considering a very tough and sudden upset to his life.
“He came back into train with us yesterday. He understands the support he’s got.
“The culture we’ve built in the group and how we’ve worked is such a big part of what this team is doing.
“I’ve seen good cultures and bad cultures. This group are amazing for their culture off the pitch which transmits to on the pitch.
“It doesn’t come easily. Moments like this with Jamie is when the group comes together and absolutely supports him.”
Coventry travel to Stoke on Saturday, January 10 with kick-off at 3pm at the bet365 Stadium.
