Ellis Simms has described his loan spell at Sunderland as a 'great experience' after completing a move from Everton to Coventry City for an undisclosed fee, thought to be worth up to £8m. The striker has joined the Sky Blues from the Premier League side on a four-year deal.
Simms spent the first half of last season with Sunderland and scored seven goals in 17 games for the Black Cats before he was recalled by Everton at the beginning of January. Sunderland had hoped he might be able to rejoin them at the end of January, but he remained at Goodison Park.
And then the Black Cats were keen to sign him this summer but Everton's asking price was too high, and the 22-year-old eventually opted to join Coventry despite interest from other clubs including Swansea City and Ipswich Town. Simms is set to replace Viktor Gyokeres at Coventry, with the Swede expected to join Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon in a deal reportedly worth £20m.
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Of his time at Sunderland, Simms said: "It was my first time playing in the Championship. It was a great experience for me, and it was a little taste of it, but now I'm coming here [Coventry] on a permanent move so I can settle in and its my new home, so I can kick on and strive for more.
"Going on loan is temporary so the loans I’ve been on, I was only there for six months so you never really fully settle in, so hopefully now with the length of the contract I can settle in and build onwards and upwards."
Asked why he had chosen Coventry, he added: "The conversation I had with the manager. He showed great belief in me and the club as a whole are on the way up and it seems like it will be a big season for us. He has done his research on me, and he likes the way I play, he thinks I will be a good addition to the team.
"He knows I can score goals and he knows my strengths and I'm sure once I get on the grass he can teach me a few things and give me the support and the run of games for me to kick on."
