Former Lincoln City goalkeeper Carl Rushworth has completed a club-record £22.5 million move to Premier League newcomers Coventry City.
The 25-year-old has joined the Sky Blues permanently from Brighton and Hove Albion after helping Frank Lampard’s side win the Championship title last season. The fee could reportedly rise to £30 million through add-ons, with Brighton also thought to have secured a sell-on clause and buyback option.
Rushworth started all 46 league matches during Coventry’s promotion campaign, keeping 17 clean sheets and collecting the Championship Golden Glove. His performances made a permanent deal one of Coventry’s priorities ahead of their return to the top flight after a 25-year absence.
Lampard was delighted to bring the goalkeeper back to the club.
“It’s great to have Carl back with us on a permanent basis. He’s a top professional, a great character and he had a huge impact on the team to help us get promoted last season.
“I’m looking forward to working with him again and welcoming him back into the group.”
Rushworth joined the Imps on a season-long loan in July 2022, having previously gained Football League experience with Walsall. He made his City debut in the goalless opening-day draw against Exeter City and remained our first-choice goalkeeper throughout the 2022/23 campaign.
He played 46 times in all competitions for the Imps, offering reliability and composure behind a side that finished the League One season with one of the division’s strongest defensive records. His distribution was also an important feature of the way City attempted to build from the back.
Rushworth was a popular figure at Sincil Bank, both likeable and clearly capable of playing above League One level. For me, he sits among the best three goalkeepers I have seen represent the Imps, alongside Alex Palmer and Lukas Jensen.
His career since leaving City has strengthened that assessment. Rushworth stepped into the Championship with Swansea City in 2023/24, making 48 appearances and winning both their Supporters’ Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year awards.
A loan move to Hull City followed, although his opportunities there were limited before he was recalled by Brighton in January 2025. Coventry then secured him for the 2025/26 season, where he became an instrumental part of Lampard’s title-winning side.
For those who watched him regularly at Sincil Bank, his rise will not come as a surprise. The potential was apparent during his season with the Imps, and he now has the opportunity to establish himself as a Premier League goalkeeper.