Wolves Eye Ellis Simms as West Brom and Stoke City Could Join the Race

It is common for newly promoted Premier League sides to make difficult decisions about their squads, with some players who helped secure promotion eventually finding themselves sent out on loan or moved on altogether.

The demands of top-flight football leave little room for sentiment. With the financial rewards of Premier League football and the pressure to avoid relegation, clubs must quickly determine which players are capable of making the step up.

Coventry City, last season’s Championship winners, have so far kept hold of the majority of the squad that delivered their title success. They have even made some of their previous loan signings permanent.

However, with Coventry preparing to begin life in the Premier League against reigning champions Arsenal on Friday, manager Frank Lampard will soon have to assess his squad and decide who can compete at the higher level and who could leave before the September 1 deadline.

Wolves interested in Ellis Simms

According to Darren Witcoop, Coventry could receive several loan approaches from Championship clubs for striker Ellis Simms, with relegated Wolves reportedly among those who could make an approach.

Wolves already have Raul Jimenez and Adam Armstrong competing for places in attack, meaning another striker may not be an obvious necessity. Nevertheless, Simms’ availability could present an opportunity that would be difficult for the club to ignore.

The 25-year-old enjoyed an impressive campaign for Coventry last season despite predominantly operating as a squad option. He made 43 league appearances, including 15 starts, and accumulated just over 1,600 minutes.

Despite his limited starts, Simms scored 13 Championship goals, giving him one of the best goals-per-90 records in the division. His 0.72 goals per 90 ranked second behind Ross Stewart.

His other numbers were also encouraging, including 0.64 expected goals per 90 and 1.88 shots on target per 90.

After struggling during the 2024/25 season, when he scored only seven goals across all competitions and failed to match his underlying statistics, Simms responded impressively last term.

Another productive Championship campaign could strengthen his case for eventually earning a Premier League opportunity with Coventry.

A move to Wolves could therefore benefit both parties. Simms would have the chance to play regularly and potentially help Wolves push for an immediate return to the top flight, while also giving him an opportunity to demonstrate that he belongs at Premier League level.

However, Wolves may not be the only club capable of offering him an attractive destination.

West Brom could benefit from Simms’ experience

West Bromwich Albion could have a particularly strong reason to explore a move for Simms.

James Morrison appears committed to continuing with the 4-4-2 system that served him well during his interim spell, meaning the Baggies need sufficient depth in attack to cope with a demanding 46-game Championship season.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan has made an excellent start to his West Brom career, producing goals and assists during pre-season and the opening competitive fixtures. He has generally partnered Aune Heggebo, who also found the net on the opening day against Norwich City.

If Morgan continues developing and Heggebo settles into his second season at the Hawthorns, West Brom could have a strong starting partnership.

The concern is what happens when either player is unavailable.

Barney Stewart offers potential and could emerge as a useful alternative, but beyond him the options look considerably less convincing. Tammer Bany is the other recognised striker, although his lack of regular football over the past 18 months because of injury makes him difficult to rely on for an entire campaign.

Simms would offer a more dependable alternative. He has missed only two league matches through injury across the last three seasons and showed last year that he can make a major impact even without being a regular starter.

His ability to come off the bench and maintain the attacking threat would make him a valuable addition for a West Brom side targeting the play-offs.

Stoke City also have a case to make

Stoke City have another compelling reason to consider Simms.

The striker previously worked under Mark Robins at Coventry, scoring 19 goals in his first season with the club. That existing relationship could make a potential reunion at the bet365 Stadium particularly appealing.

More importantly, Stoke’s current striker options appear thin.

Sam Gallagher started their opening-day defeat against Swansea City. While the experienced forward can provide useful squad depth, Stoke arguably need a younger and more reliable goalscoring option if they are serious about improving their attacking output.

Gallagher was replaced by Robert Bozenik, who managed fewer than 850 league minutes during his first season at Stoke. Although he scored against Oldham Athletic in the EFL Cup, he remains relatively unproven at Championship level.

Stoke’s lack of attacking inspiration was evident when they were chasing the game against Swansea. Aside from Sorba Thomas, there appeared to be limited creativity and genuine threat in the final third.

That makes strengthening the forward line an obvious priority before the transfer window closes.

Simms would fit the bill.

The striker could potentially secure regular starts under a manager he has already performed well for, while Thomas could provide quality service from wide areas if he remains at the club.

Which club would suit Simms best?

Each of the three clubs offers Simms something different.

Wolves could provide the biggest opportunity to immediately fight for promotion back to the Premier League, while the prospect of returning to the top flight could be attractive to the striker.

West Brom also appear capable of mounting a serious promotion challenge and may offer Simms an important role as they look to strengthen their attacking depth.

Stoke, meanwhile, could potentially offer him the most consistent playing time. Their need for another proven striker is obvious, and his previous success under Robins could make the move particularly appealing.

The Potters may not be considered as strong promotion favourites as Wolves or West Brom, but regular football could be a major factor in Simms’ decision.

For Coventry, a loan move would allow the striker to continue developing while giving Lampard an opportunity to assess his suitability for Premier League football.

With several Championship clubs potentially interested, Simms’ future could become one of the more intriguing transfer situations to monitor before the window closes.