Coventry City are looking to put together a squad capable of competing in the Premier League next season
Frank Lampard has already admitted he will use his trip to the World Cup in the United States as something of a scouting mission, as Coventry City look to bolster their squad for the Premier League season.
The Sky Blues will learn their fixtures when they are announced on Friday morning, with eye-catching trips to the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United as well as reunions with rivals like Aston Villa and Sunderland.
They will hope to have the bulk of their recruitment done by the time the action starts on August 22, with Frank Onyeka’ s permanent transfer, which becomes formalised on July 1, the only deal in the books at present.
But the Sky Blues have been linked with players in every position, from front to back – and even in the middle of the park where Onyeka will combine with the outstanding Matt Grimes.
However, a study into the the biggest talent at the 2026 World Cup by AI humanizing tool GoHumanize has paired City with Columbia’s Kevin Castaño.
The research looks to find the player who, like James Rodriguez in 2014, could become a global superstar this summer with a breakthrough tournament.
They have identified a top 19 of young players and using their AI tool matched those players up to Premier League clubs who are in need of a player with their characteristics.
GoHumanize rate Castaño third in a list of 19 talents, topped by South Africa winger Relebohile Mofokeng and Japan’s Takefusa Kubo, who play for Orlando Pirates and Real Sociedad respectively.
They have also paired him with the Sky Blues on the basis that he is an ‘incredibly press-resistant midfield anchor designed to control tempos and spark tier-two transitions’.
Castaño has played in Mexico, Russia and now Argentina with River Plate, for whom he signed in March 2025.
They estimate the 25-year-old went into the World Cup valued at £6million – but they figure he could end up costing £19m with a good showing in North America.
The study aggregated raw performance data from the 2024/25 and 2025/26 domestic and continental club seasons, alongside international data from the past 24 months covering World Cup Qualifiers and continental tournaments.
