A pivotal few months lie ahead for the Bluebirds if they are to build on this season
If Cardiff City is to capitalise on the improvement made this season, they have a lot of concerns to resolve heading into the summer.
With the help of a transfer ban in the summer of last year and a January transfer window that had to be completely scrapped and restarted in the final two days of the season, Erol Bulut guided a team that had placed just above the relegation areas the previous two seasons to the relative comfort of mid-table.
Although things haven’t always gone well, the great majority of supporters believe the team has done a decent job this season and many see signs of hope that could serve as a springboard for next season.
What then has to happen this summer for Cardiff to achieve their goal of finishing in the top six for the upcoming season? We examine what the ideal summer would entail…
Sort out the story of Bulut.
Yes, this is the big one, no doubt about it. This won’t be a summer-long problem, as we anticipate hearing back by the end of this week, but it is crucial to any future preparation.
This week, following a largely successful but equally demanding season in the Welsh capital, Bulut took a plane back to Turkey to be with his wife and kids. All of his coaching staff has now departed, taking their separate families with them to Greece, Turkey, and Germany while they await word on their own future plans.Get our Cardiff City newsletter by subscribing here.
The length of the agreement could be a sticking point, according to the most recent information we have about the offer that Bulut is now considering. Although Bulut has discussed expanding his coaching staff and reorganising the network of scouts and recruiters, those changes will not be included in the contract.
Bulut is adamant that a project needs to be constructed in Cardiff, and he will want job security while he completes it. He is known to have expressed his high expectations for the upcoming season, should the chance arise, and he hopes to improve upon his current season’s 12th-place performance.
Conversely, Vincent Tan suffered a great deal of damage when he gave Mick McCarthy a two-year contract, following the former Republic of Ireland manager’s successful Cardiff debut. As a result of his firing, a number of managers have been hired on short-term contracts.
Many club members want the manager to return for the upcoming season, but the decision is still up in the air. If he isn’t, many people will be devastated. Should the team conduct another search for a new manager, it will be draining of resources and possibly time-consuming, putting them in danger of beginning the upcoming season behind schedule. While there is still hope that an agreement may be reached with the current manager, speed is crucial.
Set a zero for transfer priority
Cardiff cannot let another window close without adding at least one elite striker worthy of the Championship.
With the exception of Sory Kaba’s goal-filled half-season last year, only Kieffer Moore has been a successful striker for this team in the last six years or so. Cardiff has suffered greatly in recent seasons due to a lack of goals and a focal point.
This summer, Cardiff is unrestricted by a transfer ban, and it’s usually simpler to perform at your peak during the off-season. Of course, the question of how much money Tan wishes to give up is another. Unfortunately for the owner of the Bluebirds, goals come with a price. Setting goals helps you advance, which should at the very least get the owner’s attention.
Tan’s hesitation to spend a significant amount of money is understandable given that he has previously been burned by pricey striker deals. But it needs to be a striker if you’re going to spend big money on anything.
Yakou Miete was anticipated to do better; Kion Etete has not lived up to the team’s expectations; and Famara Diedhiou scored twice but otherwise looked unimpressive. After scoring double digits for KV Kortrijk this season, Isaak Davies will undoubtedly return, but expectations for him should be moderated for the upcoming season even though he will provide some much-needed pace.
In terms of creating opportunities and scoring goals, wingers are equally crucial, so Cardiff needs to make significant inroads there as well. With Josh Bowler and Karlan Grant going back to their parent clubs, Cardiff is now severely short on wide alternatives capable of scoring goals at this calibre.
Bring in money
Cardiff needs to start shifting the perception of the team and offload players when their transfer value is positive in order to free up capital. Every team at this level needs to do this in order to survive, if not prosper, and Cardiff hasn’t done well at it lately.
This summer seems to offer a great chance to start making sales revenue, which would then make it feasible to reinvest the money to build a stronger team for the upcoming season.
Even if the team would like for players like Perry Ng to stay, most supporters understand that he’s likely earned his opportunity at a top-tier team someplace, and Cardiff might get a respectable price for him considering he signed a new contract at the start of the season.
The team should be ready for offers for its talented young players, especially after Mark McGuinness’s impressive half-season and Rubin Colwill’s growth this season. Premier League clubs are currently considering the Wales international, according to Bulut.
Additionally, a sizable portion of pay cuts are anticipated this summer. Cardiff made up for their inability to spend last summer by paying a substantial portion of the salaries of loan players this season. There will presumably be more wiggle room in the budget this summer when that outlay returns to a lower level.
Address impending defensive problem
The club’s defence has a silent problem that needs to be resolved in the summer as well.
Ng and McGuinness, as previously indicated, may attract interest from other parties, although Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Nat Phillips have returned to Man City and Liverpool, respectively. The result is a rather bare-boned back line.
That leaves Dimitrios Goutas, Jamilu Collins, and Mahlon Romeo. Assuming Bulut, or a future manager, does not consider Callum O’Dowda a left-back, Cardiff will likely need to add players to every position on that back line. Sure, Ryotaro Tsunoda, who hasn’t been tried, will be coming to Cardiff from his loan at KV Kortrijk, and Joel Bagan will be returning from his loan at Zulte Waragem, but the Bluebirds will probably want more reliable options than that.
For the most part of the season, Cardiff’s defence has been fairly strong, but by the end, they were conceding a lot of goals, so there is clearly room for improvement. Only Rotherham United, Huddersfield Town, and Blackburn Rovers gave up more goals against them than they did—70 total.
It will be intriguing to watch how the Bluebirds approach that aspect of the game and how much cash they are prepared to throw at recruiting.Get our Cardiff City newsletter by subscribing here.
Arrange favourable financing for the children.
Cardiff has improved in the last several years in terms of how the club handles its younger players.
Their desire to send them out on loan has increased significantly, which has a domino effect on the remaining players at the club who must advance through the age groups to fill the voids, therefore furthering their own development.
At the moment, the team has players on loan from Cardiff’s academy, including Isaak Davies, Eli King, Joel Bagan, Xavier Benjamin, Malachi Fagan-Walcott, Tom Davies, Ryan Kavanagh, Kieron Evans, James Crole, Ollie Denham, Jacob Dennis, and Chanka Zimba.
Naturally, their amounts of playing time vary, but those real-world exposure and, for the most part, first-team experiences will probably benefit them more than continuing to play academy football.
Over the past several weeks, we have witnessed how academy students, when given the opportunity and trust, can make a difference. When given the chance, Luey Giles, Joel Colwill, Raheem Conte, and Cian Ashford have all performed excellently.
Tan genuinely loves the Bluebirds academy, which has a brand-new, cutting-edge facility in Llanrumney. He deserves recognition for his financial contribution to that endeavour as well as his desire to see Welsh talent advance within the team.
However, choices made at this point in a player’s development are essential if they want to continue and pursue occupations in the game. Cardiff has had a great deal of success finding excellent loans for their young players, but they have also had a lot of misses.
Cardiff’s future may significantly benefit if they can maintain the progress they have made this season in terms of moving their young players out. They must also choose which of these young players will stick around and compete for spots in the first squad the next season.
They can’t let the ball drop, though. They need to be serious about that planning as soon as possible.
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