Could two Cardiff City fans' favourites become realistic targets in January?
By Phil Smith
Monday 28th November 2016
Cardiff City were this morning linked with Arsenal youngster Chuba Akpom , with a striker known to be top of the Bluebirds list. However, you get the impression that speed and creativity will be welcomed anywhere across the front six.
So who are the best players likely to available and could two former City heroes, long discussed by fans as having potential for a much welcome homecoming, realistically become targets? We took a closer look...
Fraizer Campbell (Crystal Palace)
It makes so much sense that it's almost *too* neat.
Campbell is struggling to get a game at Crystal Palace, not featuring since a five-minute cameo against Liverpool at the end of October. All told, he has made only two competitive appearances for the Eagles this season and looks to be well out of favour.
His wages will be a stumbling block, but could the prospect of returning to a club where he knows the red carpet will be rolled out tempt him into accepting a pay cut?
His contract expires in the summer after all and he would probably have to accept reduced terms then anyway to move to a club where first team football can be guaranteed.
Campbell is quick, a decent finisher and has operated in wide areas for a number of clubs. He won't shirk defensive duties and so you can imagine him and Junior Hoilett bouncing off Rickie Lambert well. He has also worked with Warnock in the past and his business at Cardiff so far has already shown that he likes to work with players he knows.
His contract situation means he is unlikely to command much of a fee.
A couple of reservations, however. Connor Wickham is said to have a serious knee injury and so Palace would likely need cover for Campbell before even considering letting him go.
Still, Campbell would be a real statement of intent on the back of bringing Warnock to the club.
Jordon Mutch (Crystal Palace)
Mutch is completely out of the Palace picture, rarely even making it to the match day squad this season.
However, his contract runs until 2019 and so the Eagles still have a relatively strong negotiating position and Mutch would certainly command a reasonable fee.
£2.5 million has been the quoted figure in the press, and Cardiff would need to do some serious unloading to be able to spend that kind of money in what isn't really a priority area.
Celtic are said to be interested and Cardiff would surely struggle to compete with a side who will almost definitely be in the Champions League next season. The way Brendan Rodgers has revived Scott Sinclair's career will also appeal to bombed out Premier League players like Mutch.
Jordon Mutch
Yet it's difficult not to purr at the thought of Mutch in the Cardiff midfield, such is the impact he could have on the midfield. He would certainly give them another dimension. Whether Cardiff do any business in this part of the field probably depends on what Warnock decided to do with the likes of Lex Immers, Emyr Huws and Stuart O'Keefe.
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