Coventry City have secured the signing of Barnsley goalkeeper Bradley Collins from the League One outfit for an undisclosed fee, as confirmed by The Coventry Telegraph.
The signing marks another occasion of the Sky Blues signing a former prospect from Premier League side Chelsea’s academy. Collins worked with Coventry assistant manager Adi Viveash during the pair’s time at Stamford Bridge, winning the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup in 2014/15. The Tykes shot-stopper became number one for the Blues’ development side in the 2015/16 season. The side will pay a fee for the player, which is undisclosed, with the keeper having a year left on his contract at Oakwell. Viveash has signed the goalkeeper to provide competition for the number one spot to current number one Ben Wilson.
The connection to Chelsea through Viveash has seen several prospects from the Chelsea academy work with the Championship club, with players such as Josh Dasilva, Kasey Palmer and Fankaty Dabo among names who joined on permanent or loan deals. Two of those names, Palmer and Dasilva, played with Collins at Stamford Bridge.
Collins has 100 appearances to his name with the Tykes since joining in 2019, with 81 of those coming in the Championship with the club. During his Championship spell at Oakwell, the club almost reached the Premier League, with Collins establishing himself as the number one choice before they were beaten in the play-offs by Swansea City, where Collins’ manager last season, Michael Duff, has now taken charge.
The club were eventually relegated from the Championship in the 2021/22 season and fell short of returning immediately last season, falling to defeat to Bolton Wanderers in the final of the play-offs. However, Collins was not present for that defeat. The second half of last season saw him pick up an injury, and he then lost his place to Harry Isted, who moved on to the Valley with Charlton Athletic following his loan spell with the Tykes. Before losing his spot to the loanee goalkeeper, Collins kept nine clean sheets in 26 appearances in League One, conceding 25 goals.
Writer’s View
The Tykes have a lot of voids to fill within their club currently. Replacing former manager Michael Duff has already been done. It is not yet known how much impact his replacement will have. And now, the club have two spots to fill with Isted’s loan spell and Collins reuniting with his former mentor. Coventry, on the other hand, are pulling off a great signing here. It is clear from his time in the Championship that Collins is a Championship quality player and has established himself as a number one and could certainly do that at the Sky Blues.
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