GORDON Strachan has urged Coventry City to avoid signing Premier League players in the upcoming January transfer window.
Strachan managed the club in the Premier League from 1996 to 2001 and made 33 appearances for the Sky Blues at the end of his playing career.
Coventry currently sit five points clear at the top of the Championship table with the Sky Blues dreaming of a return to the top flight.
However, Strachan believes the club should show loyalty to the current playing squad by not swooping for Premier League players in the January window to aid the club’s title challenge.
Speaking to BestBettingSites, Strachan said: “Basically, no. Premier League level players will want to go to the Premier League.
“They’ll not want to come down a league. Because what you’ll have if you look for Premier League players, you have to pay them Premier League money.
“And then the boys that are there already are going, ‘Well, just a second. We’ve been battling away for ages. Getting to here, top of the league, flying, and these guys are walking in and picking up rewards without doing anything’.
“Then you’ll have them all asking for improved wages. You have to have the mindset that Norwich, West Brom or Burnley have had when they’ve gone up. Those clubs know they can go down as well as up.
“They’re not going to spend money to have the club go into administration and liquidation. Like what you’re seeing with Sheffield Wednesday or Derby Country. Leeds almost blew up when they spent big.
“I think you have to accept that and you cut your cloth accordingly. You can’t easily jump to that next level, if you ever can jump at all.
“Crystal Palace have done exceptionally well, but at some point someone will take their best players and their manager, and there’s no guarantee that they can repeat the magic.”
Strachan also heaped praise on former Sky Blues boss Mark Robins who he feels laid the foundations for current Coventry boss Frank Lampard to succeed.
Strachan added: “I think Mark Robins also needs some praise for what he did before Frank Lampard arrived.
“He was forward-thinking, a clever manager. He did an incredible job and laid the foundations for Frank to go in there and succeed.
“He was able to get them to a solid place financially, with the new owner too.
“I think because of that, Mark Robins is still Coventry’s best manager since Jimmy Hill.”
