Charlton Athletic: Key detail in Conor Coventry transfer emerges as Sheffield Wednesday named | OneFootball

Conor Coventry was one of a number of top signings that Charlton Athletic have made this season, and a key detail about his transfer has come out.

The 24-year-old Irish midfielder graduated from the ranks of West Ham United's academy system.

Many top players, both past and present, have come through this pathway, but Coventry wasn't given the chance to show his abilities in a claret and blue shirt. His only league appearance for the Hammers came in the form of a minute-long appearance off the bench against Manchester City in August 2022.

He went on loan across the EFL to teams like Lincoln City, Peteborough United, Milton Keynes Dons, and Rotherham United before he permanently left his London-based parent club in this season's January transfer window.

Coventry moved across London to the Valley, and he has looked right at home since, helping his new team escape from the clutches of the relegation battle that he was slowly slipping into.

It was a very impressive move by the Addicks, but emerging news of the details of the deal makes the fact that they were able to pull this move off even more impressive.

Richard Cawley, of the London News Online, has said that the Addicks didn't have to pay West Ham a transfer fee in order to acquire Coventry, and that the only fee-related part of the deal that was included was a sell-on percentage.

As a third tier club, to be able to get a player of his standard from a top flight team is impressive, but it gets better for Charlton fans.

Sheffield Wednesday were heavily interested in the 24-year-old, and manager Danny Röhl even said in a press conference that they were expecting to get a deal done for him within a week of him speaking to the media. That obviously didn't happen.

While the German boss didn't outright name Coventry as their target, the timeline of events matched up and suggested that it was the former West Ham midfielder that they were after.

The Star had previously reported that the sell-on fee that Wednesday were willing to give to West Ham was lower than the one that the Addicks were offering, which led to his move to the Valley. Coventry's desire to stay in London was also considered to be a factor in his decision.

Cawley has reported that both Charlton and the Owls offered the exact same deal to West Ham for Coventry, and yet the former Irish under-21 chose the third tier team.

Charlton should take great pride from Conor Coventry deal

Being able to convince a Premier League player to join a third tier relegation-threatened team over a second tier relegation-threatened team is impressive in and of itself.

The negotiating team for the Addicks should receive heaps of praise for this, especially because of what he has done since joining.

This deal should also be taken as a great sign for the club. The location did obviously play a factor in the midfielder's choice of teams, but if he saw no future and room for growth at Chartlon, then he likely wouldn't have come.

Coventry sees the same vision that new manager Nathan Jones did, who, like his Irish midfielder, was previously with a top flight team before joining the Addicks.

This pulling power is very telling, and it should give Charlton fans belief and hope about what is down the road for them.