Sky Blues sign Swans defender after Jamaican international was linked with Luton move
Coventry City have signed Swansea City defender Joel Latibeaudiere after his contract expired at the Liberty Stadium.
The 23-year-old, who has been with Town centre half Amari’i Bell as part of the Jamaica squad at the recent Gold Cup, was reportedly interesting the Hatters during the start of the summer transfer window.
However, he has now gone to the Sky Blues, agreeing a four year deal with the team Luton beat on penalties in the play-off final at Wembley, City paying a compensation package to the Welsh side.
The former Manchester City U18s captain had been with Swansea since October 2020, playing 79 games, as manager Mark Robins told the club’s official website: “We are very pleased to welcome Joel to Coventry City.
“Joel is a composed, ball-playing centre-half, who has experience of playing in the Championship and also internationally.
“He’s a versatile defender who fits in with our style of play and is an important signing for us, and we look forward to working with him.”
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Why Luton Town should secure the signing of Wolves defender Ryan Giles
It has been reported that Luton are interested in Wolves left back Ryan Giles, with a potential fee in the region of £5 million.
The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at Middlesbrough, playing all but one league game as Michael Carrick’s side reached the championship playoffs.
Giles would be the Hatters’ fourth signing this summer, as they prepare their squad for a Premier League survival challenge.
What would Ryan Giles bring to Luton Town?
Giles was one of the best attacking full backs in the championship last campaign, registering a staggering 11 assists for Boro, the third-best tally in the league behind Jack Clarke and Victor Gyokeres.
Going forward, Giles is supremely talented. The full back has a wand of a left foot, with the invaluable ability of picking out the strikers with dangerous crosses.
He struck up a deadly partnership with top scorer Chuba Akpom, and if a move to Kenilworth Road came to fruition would most likely find the same success with the likes of Morris and Adebayo.
However, one area of Giles’ game which seems to be lacking is the defensive side. He was in the bottom 10 percent of championship full backs for tackles and blocks last campaign, and sometimes came under fire for his ball watching.
After promotion to the Premier League, Rob Edwards needs full backs with sufficient defensive abilities, to deal with the world class wingers that the top clubs possess, which could dissuade the Hatters from making a move for the Wolves man.
Also, Giles is very similar to Alfie Doughty, both excellent going forward but less impressive going the other way. With a limited budget, the Town may want to spend in other areas (Right back, Defensive Midfeild, Goalkeeper) instead of improving a position where they already have talent.
If Giles did make his way to Kenilworth Road this summer though, Doughty’s versatility could be utilised. The fan favourite played a couple of games in midfield last season and with Rob Edwards exploring a possible 4-2-3-1 system in the prem, could be pushed further forward. Bringing Giles in could actually improve Doughty, pushing him forward to a left wing position without the weight of defensive responsibility.
For me, the reported £5million fee would be a steal for a creative talent such as Giles. Although it may be a gamble with the question marks around his defensive ability, the upside potential of a top quality attacking fullback is too exciting to turn down.
Featured image: Copyright of Gareth Owen/LTFC
If Giles signs for luton it would be the worst decision of his life, they shouldn’t even be in the premiership due to their ground not being up to premiership levels, a tin pot club that should be in the national League.
Giles is far better than them and should be aiming higher,much higher.
An absolute insult about it being a £5 mill fee.It should be at least double that ammount,in fact it’s a disgrace that we should even think about selling him at all.He should be Wolves left full back/wing back in the coming season for his assets alone,especially due to our lack of goals.
