" 20 talented players from the lower leagues "

' Cardiff City's summer transfer window: 20 talented players from the lower leagues that should be on Russell Slade's radar '

Russell Slade has made it clear the club are unlikely to be ‘shopping at Harrods’ this summer, opening the door to unearthing and polishing gems from the lower leagues

Cardiff City boss Russell Slade has made it clear the club are unlikely to be ‘shopping at Harrods’ this summer.

Nevertheless there is expected to be something of a revolving door at the Cardiff City Stadium as the re-shaping of Slade's squad continues to take shape.

He is set to finalise targets during a meeting with owner Vincent Tan when he jets off to Malaysia at the end of the season.

With Slade having managed there for a significant period of his career, just how likely is it he will raid League One and League Two for some of the best untapped talent the Football League has to offer?

Should he be looking at players from lower down the pyramid, we have taken a look at some of the unearthed gems Slade could be interested in polishing for what is hoped will be a promotion push from the Championship next term.

Here are 20 players that Slade could consider...

20 lower league players Russell Slade should have on his radar

1) Massimo Luongo (Swindon Town - midfielder):
A sparkling, skillful, creative tour de force, Luongo is a joy to watch when on song and the 22-year-old definitely has the ability to play higher. He is an Australian international and was named MVP in their victorious Asian Cup campaign earlier this year.

2) Andy Williams (Swindon Town - striker):
The 20-goal striker has helped spearhead Swindon’s push for promotion. He possesses a fierce strike and clever touch in front of goal which means he is one of the most fearsome strikers at League One level.

3) Matty Done (Sheffield United - midfielder):
Started his career at Wrexham before showing himself well capable of playing at a higher level with the likes of Rochdale and Barnsley. Done has always been a neat and tidy, forward-thinking player but has added a genuine goal threat to his game, firing 17 for the Blades this campaign.

4) Nathan Byrne (Swindon Town - defender):
Wing-back who can play even further forward if need be, Byrne has serious pedigree having signed after an initial loan spell from Spurs. A series of top performances saw him named in the League One team of the year.

5) Ian Henderson (Rochdale - striker):
The Dale captain loves to play on the shoulder of defenders and has popped up in the box to finish off numerous chances this season. He has 22 goals - only three behind Joe Garner at the top of the scoring charts - but, at 30, there may be question marks over long-term potential.

6) Chris Basham (Sheffield United - defender):
The towering former Blackpool man has been a massive hit at Bramall Lane and was deployed in a number of positions in early-season including full-back, centre-back and midfield, where he performed with distinction.

7) Mason Holgate (Barnsley - defender):
Teenager with extreme talent and no little swagger, Holgate has burst onto the first-team scene, putting in a number of assured displays which are said to have seen him looked at by Premier League clubs.

8) Conor Hourihane (Barnsley - midfielder):
Following a summer transfer from Plymouth, Hourihane started like a house on fire at Oakwell, showing a keen eye for goal from long distance. Tailed off but has a cultured left foot and decent ability to get around the pitch.

9) Chris Dagnall (Leyton Orient - striker):
Nippy frontman who Slade knows from his time at Brisbane Road. A fantastic workhorse, who harries and hassles defenders and pops up with the odd breathtaking finish.

10) Will Grigg (On loan to MK Dons from Brentford - striker):
The 23-year-old has been a star for Karl Robinson’s free-scoring team, notching 19 league goals and two in a memorable Capital One Cup triumph over Manchester United.

11) Marcus Maddison (Peterborough United - midfielder):
A prodigious talent who came through the ranks with Newcastle United, has impressed since joining Posh last year and has shown his quality from set-pieces.

12) Rory McArdle (Bradford City - defender):
A consistent performer at the heart of the Bantams’ defence, McArdle’s commitment and ability at snuffing out danger has seen him become a huge part of Phil Parkinson’s team.

13) Conor Washington (Peterborough - striker):
Ex-Newport County frontman who has made the journey from part postman, part non-league footballer to League One with Peterborough. He has continued to adapt at the higher levels and is top scorer for the Posh with 13 league goals this season.

14) Izale Mcleod (Crawley - striker):
Had a good grounding at Derby County at the start of his career and Mcleod continues to score goals – not an easy feat as part of a struggling Crawley Town team. Despite Dean Saunders’ men’s relegation fears, he has found the back of the net 19 times.

15) Jonathan Forte (Oldham Athletic - winger):
Livewire Forte has been making a mug of defences for the Latics this season, often providing the inspiration with his pace and drive forward. An experienced campaigner but still only 28.

16) Dean Cox (Leyton Orient - winger):
From the verge of the Championship under Russell Slade to the verge of League Two, Orient’s team have under-performed badly this season. One of the lieutenants during Slade’s successful tenure was Cox - a tricky wide player with an outstanding record as a provider for others.

17) Carl Baker (MK Dons - attacking midfielder):
Age is not on his side - Baker is 32 - but he has had a standout campaign as the fulcrum of much of the Dons’ attacking play and chipping in with nine goals himself.

18) Tom Clarke (Preston North End - defender):
Depending on what happens on the final day, Clarke may be in the Championship with North End anyway next season but his nerveless, classy, defensive play means he has caught the attention of the rest of the Football League.

19) Ryan Woods (Shrewsbury - midfielder):
The 21-year-old can fill in a variety of positions and has earned the moniker ‘ginger Pirlo’ with boss Micky Mellon hailing his work ethic and saying ‘there aren’t many as talented as him’.

20) Jed Wallace (Portsmouth - midfielder):
One of the most prolific goalscoring midfielders in the country and an England under-19 international, he has helped calm the storm which has engulfed Pompey for the past few years.

Any of them better than Maynard and Macheda?

Joe Garner ? league one player of the year wasn't he and he scored a nice goal in his hat trick last weekend

Not sure how hes not on that list from what I have heard of him this year.

Any of them better than Maynard and Macheda?

About 5 but some of the names on that list are a joke. There are one or two quality young players on there like Massimo Luongo, Nathan Byrne and Mason Holgate but they are going to require pretty big fees, especially Luongo, who Swindon rate at £4m plus. Also, the majority of them have played at Championship level and have been nowhere near good enough at that level, players like Izale McLeod, James Constable and Matty Done to name a few. Are these names the best 20 Talented players from the Lower Leagues, that they could come up with?? You can tell that they are not regular League 1 and League 2 watchers. Also, they wouldn't make very good Scouts either, judging some of the players that they have named in this list.

There are some fantastic young players in League 1 and 2, who are eagerly waiting for the chance to be picked up by Premiership and more importantly for us, the Championship. I think we need a very good blend of young and experienced players next season and personally I think apart from the strike force - after all of the unwanted strikers leave - I feel that we have a pretty experienced squad. Therefore, I think that we should look to bring in one or two new experienced players and then the rest of the new signings should be younger and hungrier players. Also, there is such a player as a young and experienced player and a few of them we could do with. For example when Joe Ledley was 22, he had played nearly 200 games for us. That is the kind of young and experienced players that we could do with. There are quite a good number of young and experienced players in League 1 & 2, who are definitely good enough to go on and become stars in the Championship. Before Bournemouth did it this season, Norwich a few years ago got back to back promotions from League 1 and the Championship, with a number of players who were signed when Norwich were in League 1 and those same players went on and played in both the Championship and the Premiership, with Norwich. Then a few seasons before that Southampton did exactly the same as Norwich and Bournemouth.

Next season I hope to see a number of new young players in our First Team squad, who were brought in from other clubs and a few who were promoted from the U21's and U18's. But, this all has to happen under the watch of a young, hungry and ambitious new manager.

Bloooooobirds.

I mentioned about Jed Wallace (number 20 on that list) on here earlier this week.

Attacking midfielder who, if he scores tomorrow, can become Portsmouths highest ever scorer in one season since the war.

You can see some of his goals here:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V112fBvKZk0

I can vouch for 19 Ryan Woods. Class player does a bit of everything. Improve our midfield.

Amazed Max Power aint on that list. Quality young player coming through at Tranmere