Coventry City have signed winger Loum Tchaouna from Burnley for a fee reported at around £20 million, the club's second signing of the summer as they prepare for a return to the Premier League. The 22-year-old, who can play across the front line but is primarily used on the right wing, has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at the Coventry Building Society Arena.
The deal represents a big outlay for a promoted club, but it is a reflection of how highly Frank Lampard rates the Frenchman. Tchaouna was described as a "top priority" for Coventry once it became clear Burnley were open to selling, and the move was pushed through quickly after the two clubs agreed terms. For Lampard, who led Coventry to the Championship title and the Premier League after a 25-year absence, Tchaouna adds pace, directness and end product out wide as the club looks to strengthen for the step up.
Burnley's decision to sell comes down to simple financial logic as much as anything on the pitch. The Clarets were relegated from the Premier League in April after finishing 19th, and offloading a player for close to double what they paid for him twelve months ago helps balance the books as they rebuild for a Championship campaign. Tchaouna only joined Burnley from Lazio last summer for a reported £12 million, so this sale banks a healthy profit for the Turf Moor club, while Lazio are also understood to benefit from a sell-on arrangement included in his original departure from Serie A.
His first season in English football was a mixed one. Tchaouna made 14 league starts and added 15 substitute appearances for Burnley in the Premier League, scoring twice in the top flight and three times in all competitions, as the club struggled throughout the campaign and were ultimately relegated. It was not the individual breakout some expected after his move from Italy, but he showed enough of his direct running and delivery from wide areas to convince Coventry he can do a job at this level with a settled team and system around him.
Before his switch to Burnley, Tchaouna had built a reputation as one of the more exciting attacking prospects to come out of Ligue 1, progressing through Rennes' academy before moving to Italy, where he played for Salernitana and then Lazio. He is quick, comfortable cutting inside onto his stronger foot, and adds a goal threat from wide positions that Coventry lacked in the Championship last season.
At Coventry, he is expected to compete for a starting spot on the right of Lampard's attack, offering more pace and one-on-one ability than the club had in their title-winning squad. Given his age and his experience across three top European leagues already, there is a sense at the club that this is a signing for the long term rather than a short-term fix, with Coventry hoping a settled role and regular football can help him kick on after a stop-start year in England.