Swansea City star Danny Graham could be target for Cardiff

Danny Graham, a Swansea City kingpin last season under Brendan Rodgers, finally entered the fray at Tottenham yesterday with just four minutes to go.

A bit-part figure, as he has been for most of the season, with Michel Laudrup’s brilliant summer signing Michu having become the Swans’ principal focus for goals in the 2012-13 campaign.

I know this is something of a grenade to throw into the mix, but I wonder if, just a few miles down the M4, Graham’s old Watford boss Malky Mackay was monitoring events on his TV screen in Cardiff.

And pondering, just pondering, if he could make a successful January transfer swoop for the centre-forward Mackay himself turned into such a £3.2m centre-forward hit.

The Graham for Cardiff City rumour, however preposterous it may seem, has been doing the rounds for a while on the football grapevine.

Preposterous? Yes, because players in their prime just don’t go from Swansea to Cardiff. Or Cardiff to Swansea.

The rivalry is simply too great to countenance that type of thing.

Although perhaps it’s pertinent to point out at this stage that a couple of years back, while he was in his England-playing and Bluebirds prime, Jay Bothroyd was the subject of an audacious transfer bid by the Swans.

Predictably that one came to nothing, mainly because Swansea, like Cardiff, were in the Championship at the time and Bothroyd, rightly or wrongly, saw it as a backward step.

Would a Bluebirds swoop for Graham also fall flat onto stony ground? I’m not so sure, because the circumstances are different for a variety of reasons.

Including the fact that, as we saw at Spurs yesterday, Graham simply isn’t getting any regular football these days.

The gossip, and that’s the only thing it can be construed as at this stage, had still managed to gather in enough momentum for Mackay to be directly asked the other week about signing Graham.

Mackay appeared to laugh off the suggestion, pointing to the pitfalls of such a potential deal.

“Err... like the fact he plays for our greatest rivals and he’s already in the Premier League,” were amongst the theories put forward by the Bluebirds boss.

Mackay, significantly or not though, didn’t appear to rule it out.

He knows Graham well, made him tick at Watford, where he became top scorer in the Championship, into the player that he is today.

And Mackay knows that while he has a Bluebirds squad full of vast riches, a goal-scoring centre forward to drive them over the Premier League line is a base Cardiff have not yet covered.

With their Malaysian investors, Cardiff are hardly short of a bob or two.

Would they stump up the £3.2m the Swans paid Watford to land Graham in the first place? That, surely, is the minimum price the Swans would demand for their man.

Would Swansea be willing to sell anyway?

More pertinently, would they be willing to sell to their greatest rivals?

Would Cardiff fans accept Graham, given his recent Swansea background?

Questions, questions, questions. The next month or so will give us the answers, I guess.

But, much as we’re told about players being happy to pick up their vast wages these days, no footballer can be content about not playing matches.

Especially someone like Graham, who, at 27, should be in his prime and who, in recent seasons, had become accustomed to being the focal point of his team, rather than a fringe figure getting an odd few minutes here and there.

Graham was brilliant under Mackay at Watford. He also had a decent first season under Rodgers with the Swans in the Premier League, finishing as their top scorer with 12 goals.

Not a mind-boggling return, admittedly, but Graham was a constant menace to top-flight defenders with his movement and predatory ability to find space in the penalty area.

But the extraordinary strides made by Michu, coupled with Laudrup wishing to fill the midfield with three men and have his customary two wingers, means Graham’s opportunities have been limited this season.

He hasn’t played a whole Premier League game since a 2-0 loss at Stoke back in September.

Since then, Graham has started, but found himself substituted, in disappointing results against Reading and Norwich.

He has come on in the closing minutes of matches against Wigan (64th), Manchester City (71st), Chelsea (65th) and Newcastle (82nd).

Yesterday, he was sent into the fray as Nathan Dyer’s replacement four minutes from time, but had little opportunity to make any sort of impact to wrest the game back Swansea’s way.

They say football is a funny old game... and nothing could be stranger than Swansea’s centre-forward joining Cardiff.

But Mackay knows Graham; Graham thinks the world of Mackay as a manager.

The Bluebirds are desperate to join their arch-rivals in the most happening league in world football.

Maybe this one isn’t quite as crazy as it would first appear to be.


Read more: Wales Online http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballna ... z2FKwZ848R

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

You teasing b*****d! haha

It seems we are interested in him. Gus has said we're going to spend big money on a centre forward in January. I hope he's right and gets the right man as this will make or break his career .

3.2 Million minus the fees to get him through weight watchers. The fooker is bigger than me and Saddam combined LOL

3.2 Million minus the fees to get him through weight watchers. The fooker is bigger than me and Saddam combined LOL

not as sexy as marv then

3.2 Million minus the fees to get him through weight watchers. The fooker is bigger than me and Saddam combined LOL

Don't put yourself down mate. You haven't seen me, Id make you look a stick believe me. Graham i would think would like to link up with ex players, ie, Dobbie and Olandie so we're in with a shout. We are so desperately missing a centre forward who can put the ball away. We dominate so many games and should win by a landslide but have f**k all upfront. Graham could be the player to unlock the padlock.

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

mmm ok on the basis of this and previous post by carl, we are in for a pleasant surprise come jan! and its a done deal? very interesting!

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

mmm ok on the basis of this and previous post by carl, we are in for a pleasant surprise come jan! and its a done deal? very interesting!

You have read a completely different post from me. He said its a possibility that Malky could of made an enquiry Chief

Be interesting to see if he comes.

His anti-Cardiff tweets on twitter won't have done him any favours though..

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

mmm ok on the basis of this and previous post by carl, we are in for a pleasant surprise come jan! and its a done deal? very interesting!

You have read a completely different post from me. He said its a possibility that Malky could of made an enquiry Chief

wasnt refering to graham?
was refering to what arri said, if you add that to update post by carl last week, there is a player comeing in january ?
ok i cant count! but is interesting as to what was said anyway.

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

mmm ok on the basis of this and previous post by carl, we are in for a pleasant surprise come jan! and its a done deal? very interesting!

You have read a completely different post from me. He said its a possibility that Malky could of made an enquiry Chief

wasnt refering to graham?
was refering to what arri said, if you add that to update post by carl last week, there is a player comeing in january ?
ok i cant count! but is interesting as to what was said anyway.

I will shut my trap then Chief

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

you have private message

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

mmm ok on the basis of this and previous post by carl, we are in for a pleasant surprise come jan! and its a done deal? very interesting!

ITS NOT GRAHAM praise the lord.

It won't impress me though.

What a f*cking joke if we get him.

Meant to be aiming for the prem arnt we? he's toss at premier league level so why get him?

Really hope we don't sign him, I see more negatives in him than positives so hoping we bring in someone with not as much luggage as Graham and overall a better forward.

Really hope we dont get Graham watched him play in the development game the other week useless but the other one yes please.

Santa Cruz will be a bluebird

Just a guess by the way.

or maybe a certain well known city player who is local is instrumental in bringing in a certain well known current premier player not from west wales?????

mmm ok on the basis of this and previous post by carl, we are in for a pleasant surprise come jan! and its a done deal? very interesting!

You have read a completely different post from me. He said its a possibility that Malky could of made an enquiry Chief

wasnt refering to graham?
was refering to what arri said, if you add that to update post by carl last week, there is a player comeing in january ?
ok i cant count! but is interesting as to what was said anyway.

I will shut my trap then Chief

mmm its ok as long as dont have size 14 feet!

Giggs?

Who is Arri suggesting? I'm a little slow with stuff like this.

Who is Arri suggesting? I'm a little slow with stuff like this.

i dont think anybody knows, maybe carl... ive been trying to think of who bellamy could have played with to persuade, but i started hours ago and im not even through half the list

Firstly to sign graham it would have to be pernmanent not a loan deal as some people have mentioned
Imagine if he came here on loan,helped us get promoted then had to go back to sit on swanseas bench
If swansea did sell theyd want the 3 million + theyd payed for him and at this momen t in time Grahams not worth that amount
He seems to be out of shape and lacking confidence,cant see this happening in a million years

Who is Arri suggesting? I'm a little slow with stuff like this.

i dont think anybody knows, maybe carl... ive been trying to think of who bellamy could have played with to persuade, but i started hours ago and im not even through half the list

Oh right lol.

I'm not a huge one for transfer gossip anyway so I'll wait and see who we sign come jan

Here you go, these are the clubs Craig has played for, just have a look at the strikers that were there when craig was there
Norwich City
Coventry City
Newcastle United
Celtic
Blackburn Rovers
Liverpool
West Ham United
Manchester City

My guess would have been Roque Sanata Cruz - but it looks like he's on a season long long at Malaga. Don't know if he can be recalled. It would be the obvious choice as Bellers has played with him at both blackburn and Man City.

OMG it's going to be Any Carrol on loan!

Bellamy has phoned his mate John Terry

It's Giggs mun.Everyone knows this.