Coventry City striker Ellis Simms has been one of the most in-form strikers in the country recently.
In his last 11 games across all competitions, he has scored 14 goals, becoming a vital part of a Coventry team that is looking to once again make the top six, and that has reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
Simms only joined the Sky Blues in the summer from Premier League side Everton, joining for a reported fee of £3.5 million, which could rise to £8 million in add-ons.
He struggled to adapt to life at Coventry at first, only scoring three goals in 2023. But since the turn of the year, Simms has completely revitalised his season.
Ellis Simms’ 23/24 stats (league only, as of 11/04/24, as per FotMob)
Appearances
41
Minutes
2354
Goals
13
Assists
1
Shots per 90
2.87
Shots on target per 90
1.26
Touches in opposition box per 90
5.01
Coventry’s deal to sign Ellis Simms “a steal”
FLW’s Coventry City fan pundit Neil Littlewood has said that he believes that the £3.5 million Coventry paid Everton to sign Simms was a brilliant piece of business by the club.
He said: “I’ve said from day dot that Ellis Simms was a steal.
“To buy a young, 22-year-old English striker for that sort of money, a kid who has got pedigree in the game that has scored goals wherever he has gone, was widely revered at Everton. He played last season, scored at Stamford Bridge, so you can see the kid has got talent.
“When I had seen it was £3.5 million, I thought we have got a steal here. Yeah he didn’t hit the ground running and it took him a while to get going, but you could see there was something there. He is a natural finisher and he’s proved that. He’s in the right place at the right time a lot of the time, his all-round game has come on leaps and bounds, he seems to have learned the dark arts a little bit, he’s picked up a couple of yellows recently which I don’t mind seeing, he’s putting himself about against some big, horrible defenders.
“His confidence is through the roof, the first goal at Huddersfield the other week, he wouldn’t have even attempted that six months ago. Even against Leeds, he hit a volley from the corner of the box and you’re thinking alright mate! That would never have happened, he always looked to try and pass the ball on a little bit.
“I think one thing that goes under the radar a little bit is how much work he does off the ball. If you look in the first half of the season, there was many a goal that was created for us for O’Hare, Sakamoto, Wright, by Simms’ movement. The centre-halves would be following him as they knew he was a danger, and it left space. The Birmingham home game is the prime example, both of O’Hare’s goals come from Simms’ movement, creating space.
“So yeah, I think it’s a steal, I really do. Even if it goes up to the suspected £8 million, which with the add-ons which I think are to do with goals, international call-ups, promotion etc, If he gets us promoted he is worth every single penny of that £8 million, let’s be honest. He is on the door of 20 goals in a season, which everyone says is the benchmark for a top-class striker. We all worried about how we would replace Gyokeres’ goals, we have spent half of his money and have brought in two players that have done it between them.
“I love the bloke, I think he’s really, really coming into his own at Cov now, and he’s only going to get better. There were rumours that Sporting Lisbon were watching him as well, but they can do one if they think they are going to take another striker off us!”
Simms has finally started to come good
Simms may have felt a lot of expectation when he arrived at the CBS Arena in the summer.
He arrived for what is a fairly big outlay for a Championship team and he was expected to fill the shoes of one of last season’s top goalscorers in Viktor Gyokeres, who departed for Sporting Lisbon.
It took him a few months to get going, but once he picked up in form, there has been no stopping him.
He has been arguably their most important asset when it comes to Coventry’s FA Cup campaign, scoring a brace against Wolves and a hat-trick against Maidstone United.
Simms is currently making £3.5 million look cheap, and if Coventry are promoted, the £8 million would be worth it.
