“You’ll get punished” – Nigerian star warns Coventry City ahead of Arsenal EPL opener

The 2026/2027 Premier League season kicks off on the 21st of August, with Arsenal set to take on Coventry City in the opening fixture, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Sky Blue Stars will play top-flight football for the first time since 2001 after Frank Lampard led them to triumph in the EFL Championship last season. Super Eagles midfielder Frank Onyeka was a key player in that team and has warned Coventry against complacency in the Premier League.

Arsenal, meanwhile, broke their 22-year jinx to win a Premier League title with a game to spare, edging Manchester City by seven points.

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Frank Onyeka warns Coventry City ahead of Arsenal EPL opener

Onyeka spent five seasons in the English Premier League with Brentford, but the absence of quality playing time saw him seal a loan move to Coventry City, playing a key role as they sealed a return to the English top flight.

The 28-year-old joined Frank Lampard's side permanently in the summer and has set his sights on staying in the Premier League, and has warned his teammates about the quality of the players they'll be up against.

“I’d have to say Man City, Arsenal, Brighton, Liverpool,” the former FC Augsburg midfielder said in an interview with Coventry Live, telling his teammates what to expect.

“Those are the teams that you know will have the ball a lot and so you need to run and you need to defend.

“Those are the teams that are really getting close to you so you need to be compact and you need to be focused.

“In terms of individuals, the likes of De Bruyne, Odegaard and Foden because what they do is they are so clever playing behind you so you can’t really see where they are, so I would say those are a few players that you know it’s quite difficult to get to,” Onyeka continued.

“You have to be focussed throughout because, again, you can get punished at any time.

“So we need to be tactically strong and we need to defend well and make sure we take our chances from set-pieces and counter attacks. This has to be one of our strengths.”

Frank Lampard signed a new contract as Coventry City manager on June 30, 2026, which ties him to the club until 2029, and given the relationship with the coach, Onyeka was delighted the ex-Chelsea midfielder put pen to paper to continue at the CBS Arena.

“It was nice because I’d heard some rumours that he was maybe gonna leave and that was like, oh! But it’s great because he’s a legend of the game and I watched him play.

“And, for me, being proud of this group, you know, it’s huge for me and I’m really grateful that he gave me the opportunity to be here and be part of this club.

“So when I heard I was really happy to be his player and to continue working with him,” the 45-cap Super Eagles star concluded.

Coventry City will play against Arsenal, Hull City, Manchester City, Brighton and Nottingham Forest in their first five Premier League games.