Cardiff City are stronger after January business
NEIL WARNOCK SAYS THIS JANUARY WAS HIS BEST EVER TRANSFER MARKET IN A JANUARY
Sunday 4th Jan 2018
The Bluebirds brought in four new players in January while Armand Traore's loan deal from Nottingham Forest was confirmed little more than 24 hours before the Bluebirds' trip to Elland Road.
And as far as exits are concerned, Omar Bogle, Lee Camp and Lee Tomlin were allowed to leave the Welsh capital on loan deals to Peterborough United, Sunderland and Forest respectively.
Bogle arrived at the club in the summer and was immediately told he would be the Bluebirds' third choice striker, but following the addition of Gary Madine along with the reintroduction of Anthony Pilkington, it seems that the former Wigan man would have only fallen further down the pecking order had he remained in South Wales.
And as far as Camp is concerned, he is yet to feature for the first team since his Bosman move from Rotherham in the summer, with Etheridge impressing in the No.1 jersey.
But the biggest departure of them all was Tomlin, who headed to the City Ground for the rest of the campaign as part of a swap deal that saw Northern Ireland striker Jamie Ward move in the opposite direction.
Tomlin was the Bluebirds' marquee signing last summer, and the mercurial talent came from Severnside rivals Bristol City with huge expectations on his shoulders.
But for one reason or another, the No.10 has not been a regular fixture in Warnock's starting sides.
When you look at Warnock's promotion-winning sides of the past, they all have one major attribute in common. An immense work rate.
His new recruits certainly fit the bill in that aspect, and they have added an even greater competition for places within the squad, as seen with Mendez-Laing's omission from the matchday squad at Leeds.
And Warnock has shown how well he can utilise the transfer window in the past with Cardiff, so you really have confidence that time will show the recent winter window was an overall success.
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