THE OTHER MAJOR CALLS CARDIFF CITY NEED TO GET RIGHT THIS SUMMER, BESIDES EROL BULUT'S FUTURE
Quite rightly, the topic of conversation among Cardiff City fans is dominated by the future of manager Erol Bulut.
The Bluebirds boss has only two games remaining on his current deal, with owner Vincent Tan yet to communicate whether Bulut will stay on beyond this season.
It has left Cardiff in a state of semi-purgatory with regards to a number of other issues around the club and decisions which need to be made as a matter of increasing urgency. The longer this goes on, the more likely Cardiff are to start next season on the back foot.
Having improved results this year, Cardiff currently sit 10 places above where they finished last season, with two games left to play. Whatever you think about the style of football, that is meaningful progress.
Importantly, though, that progress must be built upon next season if Tan's burning desire to reach the Premier League for the third time is to be realised.
As the old adage goes, if you're standing still then you're going backwards, because there will be 23 other teams after the same prize as Cardiff next year. This hold-up with the manager risks this building block of a season being smashed away next term, with so much still to sort and the summer hurriedly approaching.
Here are some of the major calls Cardiff must make this summer, besides the pressing matter of the manager...
Get goals in the squad
Cardiff have been fortunate to be so prolific at set pieces this season, because from open play they simply have not been good enough.
Some will blame the lack of quality or service that strikers are getting, and while that is true to an extent, the likes of Sory Kaba and Kieffer Moore managed to find the back of the net with regularity in teams which hardly boasted creative prowess under Mick McCarthy and Sabri Lamouchi.
Goals cost money, is the bottom line. If a manager was in place — and funds were guaranteed, unlike January when Profit and Sustainability rules pulled the carpet from beneath the club's feet at the 11th hour — then targets would have been lined up and ready to go, you feel.
Vincent Tan has been burnt by expensive striker signings in the past and you can sympathise with his reticence to fork out big money. But if you're going to fork out big bucks for anything, it has to be a striker. Goals get you promoted. And Tan, of all people, would love to see more goals, his penchant for wanting more shots and the ball hitting the back of the net more often is well documented.
More was expected of Yakou Miete, Kion Etete has not kicked on as the club would have hoped and Famara Diedhiou has netted two important goals, but looked lacklustre outside of those two moments.
Wingers are just as important in terms of providing chances and goals, and Cardiff need some heavy recruitment there, too. Josh Bowler and Karlan Grant will return to their parent clubs and Cardiff are then left seriously struggling for wide options with a catalogue of goals at this level.
Sanctioning sales
Putting it simply, Cardiff have not sold enough players for enough money for, well, ever. The last good deal for the club was netting £8m for Kenneth Zohore's transfer to West Brom in 2019.
But Cardiff, like their south Wales counterparts Swansea, must become more self-sustaining in the transfer market. The sheer number of players they have bought for decent money before allowing them to leave either on a free or for a pittance is poor business.
This summer, you feel, there will finally be opportunities to sell and recoup some money. As much as the club would like to see the likes of Perry Ng stay, most fans appreciate that he's probably earned his shot at a top-flight club somewhere and Cardiff could get a decent fee for him, given he penned a new contract at the beginning of the season.
The club are likely to be braced for offers for their exciting youngsters, particularly after the half-season Mark McGuinness produced and the progression Rubin Colwill has shown this term. Mick McCarthy predicted that McGuinness would net the club some serious cash in the future and that might well happen this summer.
Equally, Bulut suggested both Colwill and McGuinness, along with Ryan Wintle, were among the most valuable players at the club. Callum Robinson's spell in the Welsh capital has been less than ideal and he came in for £1.5m less than two years ago.
Granted, in an ideal world a manager with knowledge of these players and their situations would be in situ to give their verdicts on any sales sanctioned, but as of now that is still in the air.
Revamping recruitment
Sources at Cardiff have indicated that the club's recruitment department needs revamping in order to improve their hit-rate when it comes to incomings.
Some will say that strengthens the argument for a director of football to be implemented, but, realistically, how much sway would such a figure have, given they would be answerable to Tan? Tan has sacked more than his fair share of managers, what's to say that would not be the case for a technical director, or whichever name you want to give it, were they to be appointed?
Nevertheless, Cardiff's internal transfer structure has to be made more robust. It is led by Paddy Deboys, the first time he has held such a position following the departure of Kevin Beadell last summer, but the whole department needs bolstering.
Speaking after the appointment of Andrii Fedchenkov as lead scout back in January, Bulut said: "I think we need more quality scouts like him, to work all over and to watch all over. I cannot follow it as manager, I have to prepare training sessions and focus on my team.
"We have got in one quality, good guy. He was in PAOK before, Shakhtar (Donetsk) too. I think he will be helpful for us, what he knows. He has data he can show us and bring us players to watch and to say if they are good for us.
"On this, we have to work a lot. Not only on this, we have to work on many small details inside the club to get a better level, to get the club to a better a level. We need a better structure. We cannot hope, or just say it's luck, no, it's not like that that. It's not about luck. We have to build. We have to build."
The people making these decisions and identifying the talent are a hugely important cog in the wheel and Cardiff cannot overlook the need to inject more quality into their recruitment department.
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Continuing clear plan for youngsters
Cardiff have taken really positive strides in recent years with regards to their approach to young players at the club.
They have been far more active in terms of wanting to send them out on loan, which has a knock-on effect for those left at the club who have to step up age groups to fill in the gaps, in turn advancing their development.
The club currently have the likes of 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 out on loan – all of whom have played in Cardiff's academy.
They are having differing volumes of game time, as expected, but those life experiences and, by and large, experiences in a first-team environment will likely do them more good than being stuck in academy football.
We have seen over the last week that academy kids, when stepping up, can make an impact when trusted to do so. Cian Ashford, Raheem Conte and Luey Giles all performed admirably against promotion-chasing Southampton at the weekend. There will be uproar if Joel Colwill doesn't receive a Championship debut in the coming weeks, too.
The Bluebirds academy, with its new, state-of-the-art facility in Llanrumney, is something Tan really is passionate about. Credit must be given to him for the money he invested in that project and the desire he has for seeing Welsh talent progress at the club.
But for players to go on and have careers in the game, decisions at this stage of their development are crucial. Cardiff have found a number of really good loans for their youngsters, but have had a lot of misses, too.
If Cardiff can build on the work they have done this season with regards to sending their youngsters out, it could have a real benefit for the future of the club. Equally, they have to decide which of these youngsters are sticking around and pushing for first-team places next season.
But they cannot drop the ball. They have to start that planning in earnest at the earliest convenience. Sign up to our Cardiff City newsletter here.
Nailing down a progressive style of play
This is a big one, particularly for fans. Cardiff's footballing philosophy has tiled from one side of the scale to the other with almost nauseating regularity in recent seasons. It does nothing for continuity and it does not help transfer policy, either.
This season, the main source of negativity pertaining to the manager has been directed at the style of play, which some fans might perceive as boring. When Bulut has been asked about developing that style of play, he said: "We have to see what kind of transfers we can get and then we can also we change a few things in our game plan."
One thing always feeds into the other. When there is a solid grounding, longevity, consistency, then it breeds a cogent plan. A cogent plan for recruitment, footballing philosophy, youngsters – the lot.
Bulut's critics are probably right with regards to the football. It has been tough to stomach at times and that is likely why the team have struggled to score goals from open play.
But the manager understands that and wants to progress it. He wants to play quicker football and to flood the box with more players while using pacey wingers. His argument is that he needs the financial backing and the right players to do it.
Whether it is Bulut at the helm — if so, work must be done this summer to better the football — or a new manager, the footballing style needs to become more clear, more attacking and more attractive. If the club opt for the latter option, then the board and owner must be clear on what they expect to see on the field.
2024-04-24T13:18:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd