The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:39 am
The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
By Scott Johnson
Wednesday 25th July 2018
One of Neil Warnock’s charms is that he makes things seem very straightforward.
When he took over at Cardiff City, it looked like he may have bitten off more than he could chew, but a little common sense and the force of his personality saw him make a molehill out of a mountain.
Warnock’s approach to the transfer market is similarly uncomplicated. Round pegs for round holes. He has been linked with a few overseas targets this summer, but none of them felt like Warnock signings. He trusts his instincts and sticks to what he knows. A safety first approach maybe, but probably exactly what Cardiff need right now.
The spectre of Andreas Cornelius still looms large over the club and as much credit as Warnock must have in the bank, I wouldn’t fancy his chances of convincing Vincent Tan to part with significant money for a speculative European import. ( You can find out what happened to all of Cardiff's Premier League signings from last time, here )
Warnock’s signings to date have been both logical and rational. Josh Murphy, Greg Cunningham, Bobby Reid and Alex Smithies are upper echelon Championship players ready to make the step up to the top flight. A central midfielder is required and it looks likely that another familiar face, Marko Grujic, will return on loan from Liverpool to fill that void.
Neil Warnock still needs a new striker, says Scott Johnson
That leaves one vacancy still to be filled, but it may be the most important of them all.
Cardiff are very fortunate to have a player of Kenneth Zohore’s calibre to call upon. The whole team is built around him and he spearheads the attack alone. They may have secured promotion without a prolific return from Zohore, but it is unlikely that they can earn Premier League safety without a healthy return from him.
Untested at that level, we do not yet know whether or not Zohore can cut the mustard at the highest level. What we can say is that he cannot do it alone. A striker that can deputise for him, without necessitating a complete tactical reshuffle, is an absolute necessity and the final piece of the jigsaw.
So ironically, Cardiff are once again looking for a striker in the Cornelius mould, ahead of a top flight campaign.
As was the case then, players of this ilk do not grow on trees and if Cardiff are already choosing to fish in shallow waters, I’m sure they have found that there is practically a drought where big, powerful forwards are concerned.
Most, if not all of the available options come with strings attached. Abel Hernandez, who recently left Hull and is currently a free agent looks tailor made for the task, but is reportedly looking for a 60% increase on the £40,000-a-week he has been receiving. Oumar Niasse looks a likely loan target, but has hardly lived up to his £13.5m transfer fee and has been accused of causing a rift in the Everton dressing room.
Watford’s Andre Gray, who has a chequered past, is believed to be available, but is due in court to face charges of assaulting a woman in a Las Vegas nightclub. His team mate Troy Deeney may also be up for grabs, but his wage demands would likely eclipse those of Hernandez.
They could look to someone like Sam Vokes, who has been linked with various Championship clubs this summer, or try to rescue Jordan Hugill, who West Ham seemingly signed on a whim from Preston last season without any thought of how they might use him. Salomon Rondon will leave West Brom, but his release clause is set at a prohibitive £16.5m. There are no easy options.
They could even look to Tammy Abraham, who starred for Bristol City in the Championship, but struggled in the Premier League with Swansea, or Britt Assombalonga, who has always been prolific, but dogged by concerns over his fitness.
Cardiff are competing with the likes of Fulham, who are set to splash out £20m on Aleksander Mitrovic, which is pretty much the going rate for guaranteed goals and having someone that can find the back of the net consistently is often the difference between mid-table sides and those looking over their shoulders at the bottom three.
By Scott Johnson
Wednesday 25th July 2018
One of Neil Warnock’s charms is that he makes things seem very straightforward.
When he took over at Cardiff City, it looked like he may have bitten off more than he could chew, but a little common sense and the force of his personality saw him make a molehill out of a mountain.
Warnock’s approach to the transfer market is similarly uncomplicated. Round pegs for round holes. He has been linked with a few overseas targets this summer, but none of them felt like Warnock signings. He trusts his instincts and sticks to what he knows. A safety first approach maybe, but probably exactly what Cardiff need right now.
The spectre of Andreas Cornelius still looms large over the club and as much credit as Warnock must have in the bank, I wouldn’t fancy his chances of convincing Vincent Tan to part with significant money for a speculative European import. ( You can find out what happened to all of Cardiff's Premier League signings from last time, here )
Warnock’s signings to date have been both logical and rational. Josh Murphy, Greg Cunningham, Bobby Reid and Alex Smithies are upper echelon Championship players ready to make the step up to the top flight. A central midfielder is required and it looks likely that another familiar face, Marko Grujic, will return on loan from Liverpool to fill that void.
Neil Warnock still needs a new striker, says Scott Johnson
That leaves one vacancy still to be filled, but it may be the most important of them all.
Cardiff are very fortunate to have a player of Kenneth Zohore’s calibre to call upon. The whole team is built around him and he spearheads the attack alone. They may have secured promotion without a prolific return from Zohore, but it is unlikely that they can earn Premier League safety without a healthy return from him.
Untested at that level, we do not yet know whether or not Zohore can cut the mustard at the highest level. What we can say is that he cannot do it alone. A striker that can deputise for him, without necessitating a complete tactical reshuffle, is an absolute necessity and the final piece of the jigsaw.
So ironically, Cardiff are once again looking for a striker in the Cornelius mould, ahead of a top flight campaign.
As was the case then, players of this ilk do not grow on trees and if Cardiff are already choosing to fish in shallow waters, I’m sure they have found that there is practically a drought where big, powerful forwards are concerned.
Most, if not all of the available options come with strings attached. Abel Hernandez, who recently left Hull and is currently a free agent looks tailor made for the task, but is reportedly looking for a 60% increase on the £40,000-a-week he has been receiving. Oumar Niasse looks a likely loan target, but has hardly lived up to his £13.5m transfer fee and has been accused of causing a rift in the Everton dressing room.
Watford’s Andre Gray, who has a chequered past, is believed to be available, but is due in court to face charges of assaulting a woman in a Las Vegas nightclub. His team mate Troy Deeney may also be up for grabs, but his wage demands would likely eclipse those of Hernandez.
They could look to someone like Sam Vokes, who has been linked with various Championship clubs this summer, or try to rescue Jordan Hugill, who West Ham seemingly signed on a whim from Preston last season without any thought of how they might use him. Salomon Rondon will leave West Brom, but his release clause is set at a prohibitive £16.5m. There are no easy options.
They could even look to Tammy Abraham, who starred for Bristol City in the Championship, but struggled in the Premier League with Swansea, or Britt Assombalonga, who has always been prolific, but dogged by concerns over his fitness.
Cardiff are competing with the likes of Fulham, who are set to splash out £20m on Aleksander Mitrovic, which is pretty much the going rate for guaranteed goals and having someone that can find the back of the net consistently is often the difference between mid-table sides and those looking over their shoulders at the bottom three.
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Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:45 am
Scott Johnson:
"Cardiff have already done great business, but the right striker could be the difference between safety and struggle. Looking at a few of the options here, but who should they go for? "
"Cardiff have already done great business, but the right striker could be the difference between safety and struggle. Looking at a few of the options here, but who should they go for? "
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 7:56 am
I'd rather two midfielders before looking at strikers.
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:10 am
2blue2handle wrote:I'd rather two midfielders before looking at strikers.
Agreed. And there’s no value in the market at the top end for STs.....probably since there isn’t a lot of choice. We need bodies in midfield now to cover injuries. The Grujic deal is getting frustrating. Would love to see Ryan Woods and Luke Freeman join us but fear that Warnock is now saving his pennies for January - he likes a mid season signing to shake things up. We’ll see.......
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 8:16 am
I'd say that our current big lads can do the job. Zohore and Madine. Wanrock doesn't just want them to score goals. He wants them to put it about. They'll certainly do that. I'm sure he'd be happy if they scored none but won every header and held the ball up for the speedsters!
I agree in what we desperately need is a bit more class between back and front to get the ball more accurately up to these lumps or hold on to possession when needed.
That, Is the missing piece!
I agree in what we desperately need is a bit more class between back and front to get the ball more accurately up to these lumps or hold on to possession when needed.
That, Is the missing piece!
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 9:34 am
Agreed, and this message is totally sending out the wrong vibes to our current strike force. Strengthen the centre of the park. 
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Wed Jul 25, 2018 10:47 am
2blue2handle wrote:I'd rather two midfielders before looking at strikers.
Completely agree...I’d spring for two midfielders and a right back on loan before replacing our capable strikers.
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Thu Jul 26, 2018 9:00 am
Scott Johnson: 'The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle."
We need more than a single, "missing piece," to make any sort of fist of it this season. We need a right back, two defensive central midfielders and a striker for starters.
StT.
<><
We need more than a single, "missing piece," to make any sort of fist of it this season. We need a right back, two defensive central midfielders and a striker for starters.
StT.
<><
Re: The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle
Thu Jul 26, 2018 11:00 am
Steve the Tea TM (c) wrote:Scott Johnson: 'The missing piece of the Cardiff City transfer puzzle."
We need more than a single, "missing piece," to make any sort of fist of it this season. We need a right back, two defensive central midfielders and a striker for starters.
StT.
<><
Agree and Ryan Woods