"If not better" - Coventry City: Bold Jack Rudoni, Callum O'Hare claim made after Sheffield United switch | OneFootball

FLW's Coventry City fan pundit has reflected on Callum O'Hare's departure to Sheffield United.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Sheffield United signed Callum O'Hare from Coventry City in the summer, with the attacking midfielder replaced by Jack Rudoni at the CBS Arena.

Coventry were reported to have offered the attacking midfielder a new deal, which he was then said to have rejected. From reports last season, the Aston Villa academy product was said to be on the radar of West Ham United, as per The Guardian, but he instead ended up joining Sheffield United.

Sheffield United won the race but he was said to be interesting a number of other top-flight clubs, including Everton, Fulham and Southampton. Others included Burnley, as well as promoted duo Leicester City and Southampton who were all said to have submitted offers for Coventry's star, according to a report from HITC.

But it was Celtic and Rangers who had been linked most frequently with the midfielder throughout last season and the summer after he turned down a lucrative offer from the MLS. Given the interest, it perhaps came as a surprise to some to see him remain in the Championship to join Chris Wilder's Blades.

The Coventry City view of Callum O'Hare

FLW asked our Coventry fan pundit Chris Deez for his thoughts, having been without O'Hare for two-thirds of a season now. We asked him if the Sky Blues are a better team without him or if he would have improved the starting line-up if he had remained with the club this summer instead.

He said: "This won't go down well with most Cov fans, as most of them still love him, but I have absolutely no interest in Callum O'Hare whatsoever.

"Frankly, I am glad he's gone. He was a great player for us; don't get me wrong, but after the lengthy injury lay-off, he then came back and his performance levels dropped.

"Sort of as expected, but even still. We also offered him more money to stay but he turned it down as he thought he was going to get a big-money Premier League move because West Ham and Leicester City were interested after they got promoted.

"Teams in the MLS and Celtic and Rangers were all linked with him. He didn't get that big-money move and instead moved over to Sheffield United, who had just got relegated.

"Don't get me wrong, they are obviously a better team than us, and they are paying him more money than us. They are also a bigger club than us, but they have just been relegated.

"Who's to say if he had just stayed with us, then we might not have had a bad start to the season and might be pushing for promotion. Mark Robins might still be here.

"It could have all been wildly different. Thankfully, we replaced him with Jack Rudoni and spent a fair amount of money on him. It was a little dubious at first, because he was coming from a freshly relegated Huddersfield Town.

"But he has been an absolute revelation. I think he has around ten assists and four goals at the minute. So that's a similar sort of output as what O'Hare was doing for us.

"I really liked O'Hare, but the way that he left the club left a sort of sour taste in my mouth. A lot of Cov fans don't see it that way.

"I don't necessarily think we would be any better if he were to come to the club now. I don't think he'd get in the starting 11 and I don't think he'd improve the starting 11.

"Rudoni was brought in to replace him and he is doing just as good of a job, if not better, than O'Hare.

"He had his head turned by interest from bigger teams and I don't think he would have ever been the same player for us again."

Jack Rudoni could be considered a Callum O'Hare upgrade

O'Hare is a player who plays with real swagger and personality, but also comes with the addition of being very versatile and capable of operating in many different midfield roles if required. He could be utilised out wide or as a box-to-box player as well as in the hole behind a centre-forward.

Even if Rudoni is less versatile, he can also play a variety of different midfield roles as well. He may lack the flair but his efficiency is superb. This season, he has proven to be a reliable creative force for Coventry and he is matching O'Hare's best season for Cov in terms of goals and assists combined, with 12 league games still left to play.

It appears to be a deal which has worked out for all parties involved, with the younger and more readily available Rudoni impressing since his move to the club. Meanwhile, O'Hare has an excellent chance of playing Premier League football next season with the Blades.