Super Eagles and Coventry City midfielder Frank Onyeka has revealed why he chose the EFL Championship club ahead of other top-flight teams during the January transfer window, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 28-year-old played just 88 minutes for Brentford in the first half of the 2025/2026 season under Keith Andrews and needed to search for playing time elsewhere after a brilliant AFCON 2025 campaign in Morocco.
Valencia, Sheffield United and Coventry United were all keen on the services of the ex-Midtjylland midfielder, but he opted to play for Frank Lampard's side, joining on a loan deal until the end of the season, with an option to join permanently included, but on the condition that Coventry gain promotion to the English Premier League.
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Why Frank Onyeka joined Coventry City
The Super Eagles midfielder was unable to make his debut for the Sky Blues against Oxford United, largely because his wife was due to put to bed.
Now, he's looking to get into action against Middlesbrough on Sunday. The fixture is a dire one, as whoever wins goes top of the EFL Championship.
“Yeah, I hope to play. For me, I’m just doing everything I can to train well and am hoping that I get the opportunity to play on Monday,” the AFCON 2023 silver medallist said in quotes revealed by Coventry Telegraph.
“It’s a big game. They won their last game, and they are now top of the league, and for us, we are doing everything we can to focus on the game because obviously, who wins will be top.
“We are focusing on ourselves, and we know it’s going to be a very intense game. So we are doing everything and training well to make sure we’re ready for the game,” Onyeka said.
Quizzed about why he chose Coventry City over other clubs, the 41-cap Super Eagles star said;
“My agent told me about it early in January, but I was just focusing on AFCON, so we didn’t speak much about it.
“And then I think two weeks before the transfer deadline, I had a call with Frank Lampard, and that’s when everything started.
“I spoke to him and could see the club is going in the right direction, the club is going up, and it was something that I wanted.
“Also, for family reasons, I want to stay close to them, and also a lot of challenges like this. So that was the reason why I chose Coventry over other clubs,” Onyeka continued.
“I'm strong, I like winning duels, tackling, and I can go forward running with the ball. I bring experience to the team, my identity, how I train and obviously, I try to bring intensity to the training. And reading the game, I think they are the main things.
As for how he’s found training with fellow midfielders Matt Grimes, Victor Torp, Josh Eccles and Jamie Allen, he said:
“It’s good. I think we are all different types of players. We bring different qualities to the team, I think. For me, it’s just a case of settling in with a voice,” the Brentford loanee concluded.
“We all bring different qualities to the team.”
Frank Onyeka speaks on the Sky Blues’ midfield in his Middlesbrough preview. ️
— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) February 14, 2026
Coventry City are currently second on the EFL Championship table, two points behind Middlesbrough.
