When Coventry owner Doug King laid out his plans for the Premier League soon after promotion, fans started to wonder how much longer their Championship-winning manager would stick around.Speaking to Christian Purslow – the hugely experienced former Aston Villa CEO who was at the helm when the club returned to the Premier League in 2019 – on the Football Boardroom podcast in the spring, King was clear: he was going to do things his way.While the Coventry owner did not reveal everything, many supporters drew two conclusions from the interview. First, that King would not bet the farm on survival. Second, that Lampard might not be the man who tried to deliver it.Fast forward a couple of months and the picture looks different. Lampard is still in place after signing a new three-year contract and Coventry have already spent more than £100million.While it is not quite a full U-turn from King, he certainly seems to have taken a different route. The transfer market alone will not keep Coventry up, but at least they are having a go. Frank Lampard’s Coventry future briefly looked in doubt after he guided the Sky Blues to the Championship title last season but the outlook is very different now Coventry have shown real ambition in the transfer market, spending big on stars like Ghanaian midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi Taiwo Awoniyi brings Premier League experience, having scored 21 league goals in 90 appearances at Nottingham ForestWhat was the turning point?It must be made clear that Lampard never sought directly to leave Coventry.The former England midfielder had done a stunning job to lead them from the edge of a relegation battle to the Championship title inside two years.Although his family home is still in London, Lampard has developed a genuine affinity with the club and its fans. If he saw Coventry as a stepping stone when he first joined, that is no longer the case.However, he was also on the list of both Fulham and Crystal Palace during the summer, with Palace chairman Steve Parish thought to be a fan. At the time, Lampard was worried Coventry would not give him the tools to have a proper shot at avoiding the drop. He wanted better players, yes, but also to feel like he was working for a Premier League operation in more than name alone.Yet anyone wanting to hire Lampard would have had to pay up to £5million in compensation and in this era of cost control, that made suitors think twice. Even so, it still needed a change of direction to persuade Lampard to commit his future to Coventry, rather than simply allowing his contract to run down and picking up another role next summer.When King, Lampard and recently-promoted sporting director Dean Austin met to discuss the challenge ahead, the conclusion was that Coventry would need significant strengthening. Once Lampard had those assurances, he was happy to put pen to paper.This strategy should give Coventry a better chance of staying up, tough though that will be. Yet just as important as the new signings has been the mood of harmony during pre-season.Had Lampard left, or stayed without signing a new deal, Coventry’s preparations would have been clouded by uncertainty. Though they are ever so slightly uneasy about the lack of Premier League experience in the squad, the players are optimistic and heartened by the arrival of Taiwo Awoniyi from Nottingham Forest. All the key figures are moving in the same direction as Coventry brace for their first top flight campaign in 25 years. Owner Doug King has committed to strengthening the Coventry squad despite initial noises that he wouldn’t bet the farm on survival Talented goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has signed permanently following a successful loan from Brighton Fan favourite Gus Hamer is also back at the CBS Arena, having been poached from Sheffield UnitedThe man making it happenThough King has the funds and Lampard the highest profile, Austin is just as important as both.Not for nothing did King promote him to sporting director earlier this summer. Though Austin’s essential role has not changed, he was given a pay rise and the improved title recognises just how central he is to the Coventry operation.Austin has had to walk a very narrow and tricky path this summer. He cannot compete with any of the established Premier League clubs for players, and those in other countries who popped up on data charts will likely already have been spotted by Brighton or Brentford anyway.This is where Austin‘s contacts come in. The former Tottenham defender has a huge network across the continent and in some of the lesser-known markets, notably the Nordic countries, Belgium, the Netherlands and Japan.Austin keeps a close eye on Danish football in particular and he knew about £26million midfield addition Caleb Yirenkyi long before he made his senior debut, thanks to his web of scouts and agents in the country.Yirenkyi has been one of the most interesting players in Denmark for some time but Coventry were able to convince him with the offer of regular first-team action in the Premier League immediately. Porto had also been very interested in the 20-year-old, who caught the eye at the World Cup.Would Austin have been able to close the deal without Lampard, though? Unlikely. Yirenkyi’s mentor, you see, is Michael Essien, perhaps Ghana’s greatest midfielder and part of the coaching staff at Yirenkyi’s former club Nordsjaelland. Essien and Lampard won 13 trophies together at Chelsea and Essien is believed to have spoken glowingly about his former team-mate to Yirenkyi. As midfield mentors, you can’t do much better than Essien and Lampard.Coventry were honest with Yirenkyi, too. They know that if he shines with them, they may have him for no more than two seasons. So why not make that a selling point? Present Coventry as a springboard to the Premier League’s elite. They have taken a similar track to lure Aurele Amenda, 23, from Eintracht Frankfurt, and highly-rated forward Sidiki Cherif, 19, from Fenerbahce. Lampard’s glittering career as a player has helped get deals for the likes of Yirenkyi over the line So too has Coventry’s ability to pitch themselves as a stepping stone to an elite Premier League club, in the case of 23-year-old defender Aurele AmendaCoventry have also signed goalkeeper Carl Rushworth, who was outstanding on loan last season, and brought back former favourite Gus Hamer. Yet Lampard – not to mention some senior players – is keen to see more Premier League experience added before the window closes. Coventry still look short at left back and out wide, though Haji Wright can play on the wing if he is not sold.Lampard will also have noted that key attacking midfielder Jack Rudoni recently changed agents, which is often the precursor to a transfer. He is now represented by CAA Base, who have worked with Lampard in the past.The 25-year-old has two years left on his contract and Coventry desperately need him still to be with them when the window closes. A new deal would be the ideal outcome for the Sky Blues.Where does the club stand?King bought the CBS Arena from Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group a year ago for £50million and that has made it easier for Coventry to complete the changes required for Premier League football.Work has been done this summer to create more space for television gantries while further funds have been allocated to improve flash interview areas and digital cabling facilities. This might sound like dry stuff to fans desperate for new signings but without it, a club is not deemed ‘Premier League ready’. These improvements are thought to have cost about £8million.Because Coventry led the Championship for most of last season, they were able to make some headway with their off-field planning. Retail bank Monzo will be the club’s sponsors for the third successive season. It is thought King has never been keen on tie-ups with betting firms yet with such companies now banned from appearing on the front of shirts, that left the Sky Blues in a solid position this summer, while rivals scrambled for new deals.King is a very wealthy man, who made his fortune in the commodities market and is said to be worth more than £300million. Would he seek additional investment? He cannot be closed to it. King has got just about everything right since buying the club in January 2023 but this is his toughest assignment yet.