Why Cardiff are calm about their transfer policy despite
Fri Jul 27, 2018 7:13 am
Why Cardiff City are calm about their transfer policy despite lavish Wolves and Fulham spending
By Dominic Booth
Friday 27th July 2018
Cardiff City won't be signing any Portuguese European Champions or German World Cup winners this summer.
But then, you knew that already didn't you.
Yet the recent transfers that have seen Joao Moutinho move to Wolves and Andre Schurrle to Fulham have merely served to highlight the Bluebirds' underdogs status in the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Add in that Wolves have already secured big money deals for Willy Boly and Diogo Jota - two of their loan stars who helped secure promotion last season - as well as signing the Portugal No.1 Rui Patricio; add in that Fulham have swooped for highly rated French midfielder Jean Michel Seri, previously linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool and tipped to be Xavi's long-term successor in the Barcelona engine room...
It all means you have a league that is slanted towards Cardiff's fellow promoted sides, the big spenders who it is automatically presumed will survive with ease.
It's teams who were in the Championship a few months ago we are talking about here, never mind the millions being spent by Liverpool, Man City, West Ham and Everton, which is in another stratosphere altogether.
Of course, we knew Cardiff would never go down that path. From the moment Neil Warnock ruled out signing "big times Charlies" in his press conferences minutes after promotion was sealed in May, everyone was aware what policy the Bluebirds would follow through this summer.
That stance hasn't altered one iota and the public briefings from Cardiff executive director and CEO Ken Choo have reaffirmed it.
"It's the philosophy of Vincent Tan and Mehmet Dalman, as well as Neil," says Choo.
"We sat together to get the strategy right. To get the players to fit the team rather than these big names and prima donnas, which we're not keen on.
"We want players who look hungry and willing to gel with the squad. Not to bring someone from Spain or Italy, just because they have a name."
Not even the frenzy set to ensue as the transfer deadline looms closer will change Cardiff minds.
Warnock, while extremely eager to sign Marko Grujic on loan plus another one or two to supplement his squad - of which one could be a significant permanent deal - knows the limits with which he is working. He doesn't like spending unnecessary money anyway and is delighted with how Josh Murphy, Bobby Reid, Greg Cunningham and Alex Smithies have settled into the squad.
With Fulham on the verge of announcing the Schurrle signing after Cardiff's 2-1 defeat to Rotherham , it was put to Warnock again about the chasm between his transfer blueprint and that of Nuno Espirito Santo and Slavisa Jokanovic.
“We can’t compete with that, we’re not kidding ourselves that we’re up against it in that respect," he said.
"But if we get the right players in, I’m sure you’ll see a different ball game. It’s just a matter of getting the players in that I want and then giving it a good go."
"Just because you're spending big doesn't mean it's going to come off," added new signing Greg Cunningham.
Cardiff have spent money, verging on £30million this summer on Cunningham and others.
But the lacklustre nature of their performances against Rotherham and Torquay are inconsequential to how much more will be paid, though the Millers defeat perhaps made the need for a central midfielder that tiny more urgent.
Learning lessons from their last stint in the Premier League in 2013/14 when Cardiff spent wildly (and badly) is central to the thoughts of the hierarchy going into the final fortnight of the transfer window.
Warnock knows there are no guarantees that money will bring success for Wolves and Fulham, nor anyone else for that matter. He even laughs off the notion that Cardiff have the lowest wage bill in the league - half of what Huddersfield pay, he says - with a fresh approach that delights Bluebirds fans.
Cardiff are underdogs in every sense. Their pre-season form wouldn't have changed that, neither would the extent of their rivals' financial muscle flexing.
Budgetary disparity is nothing new in the Premier League and there have been - and always will be - teams who expose the folly of judging a team by their chequebook.
The Bluebirds hope to prove a few people wrong in that respect.
By Dominic Booth
Friday 27th July 2018
Cardiff City won't be signing any Portuguese European Champions or German World Cup winners this summer.
But then, you knew that already didn't you.
Yet the recent transfers that have seen Joao Moutinho move to Wolves and Andre Schurrle to Fulham have merely served to highlight the Bluebirds' underdogs status in the upcoming Premier League campaign.
Add in that Wolves have already secured big money deals for Willy Boly and Diogo Jota - two of their loan stars who helped secure promotion last season - as well as signing the Portugal No.1 Rui Patricio; add in that Fulham have swooped for highly rated French midfielder Jean Michel Seri, previously linked with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool and tipped to be Xavi's long-term successor in the Barcelona engine room...
It all means you have a league that is slanted towards Cardiff's fellow promoted sides, the big spenders who it is automatically presumed will survive with ease.
It's teams who were in the Championship a few months ago we are talking about here, never mind the millions being spent by Liverpool, Man City, West Ham and Everton, which is in another stratosphere altogether.
Of course, we knew Cardiff would never go down that path. From the moment Neil Warnock ruled out signing "big times Charlies" in his press conferences minutes after promotion was sealed in May, everyone was aware what policy the Bluebirds would follow through this summer.
That stance hasn't altered one iota and the public briefings from Cardiff executive director and CEO Ken Choo have reaffirmed it.
"It's the philosophy of Vincent Tan and Mehmet Dalman, as well as Neil," says Choo.
"We sat together to get the strategy right. To get the players to fit the team rather than these big names and prima donnas, which we're not keen on.
"We want players who look hungry and willing to gel with the squad. Not to bring someone from Spain or Italy, just because they have a name."
Not even the frenzy set to ensue as the transfer deadline looms closer will change Cardiff minds.
Warnock, while extremely eager to sign Marko Grujic on loan plus another one or two to supplement his squad - of which one could be a significant permanent deal - knows the limits with which he is working. He doesn't like spending unnecessary money anyway and is delighted with how Josh Murphy, Bobby Reid, Greg Cunningham and Alex Smithies have settled into the squad.
With Fulham on the verge of announcing the Schurrle signing after Cardiff's 2-1 defeat to Rotherham , it was put to Warnock again about the chasm between his transfer blueprint and that of Nuno Espirito Santo and Slavisa Jokanovic.
“We can’t compete with that, we’re not kidding ourselves that we’re up against it in that respect," he said.
"But if we get the right players in, I’m sure you’ll see a different ball game. It’s just a matter of getting the players in that I want and then giving it a good go."
"Just because you're spending big doesn't mean it's going to come off," added new signing Greg Cunningham.
Cardiff have spent money, verging on £30million this summer on Cunningham and others.
But the lacklustre nature of their performances against Rotherham and Torquay are inconsequential to how much more will be paid, though the Millers defeat perhaps made the need for a central midfielder that tiny more urgent.
Learning lessons from their last stint in the Premier League in 2013/14 when Cardiff spent wildly (and badly) is central to the thoughts of the hierarchy going into the final fortnight of the transfer window.
Warnock knows there are no guarantees that money will bring success for Wolves and Fulham, nor anyone else for that matter. He even laughs off the notion that Cardiff have the lowest wage bill in the league - half of what Huddersfield pay, he says - with a fresh approach that delights Bluebirds fans.
Cardiff are underdogs in every sense. Their pre-season form wouldn't have changed that, neither would the extent of their rivals' financial muscle flexing.
Budgetary disparity is nothing new in the Premier League and there have been - and always will be - teams who expose the folly of judging a team by their chequebook.
The Bluebirds hope to prove a few people wrong in that respect.
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Re: Why Cardiff are calm about their transfer policy despitt
Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:38 am
Some interesting responses on-line...
Inthecitybluebird
"Unfortunately the CCS hasn’t been anywhere near full for at least two seasons, parachute payments over and when we initially went down the club was still trusting their then managers to make the financial calls regarding transfers and we suffered for it. Malky and then Ole were given too much money for the wrong players and it’s taken years to clean up the mess. Now NW and the board will get it right for this coming season and more importantly the following ones."
MrKhansHairStylist
"Sad 'article', isn't it? Fulham lost 7 players from their promotion squad and the LOAN fee for Schürrle is 350k"
JONNYFFC
"You’ve only spent £5mill less than Fulham! Not sure you can play the sob story card yet. Remember this isn’t Xfactor it’s the premier league!
Also, you overachieved massively last year and were fortunate to go up. Not that Im taking anything away from you. Under pressure you held your nerve and massive congratulations for that. I feel next season will be a struggle though. Pre season is confirming that."
markybluebird62
"what a load of s--t"
Wolfmeister
"Ha ha we don’t want any big time Charlie’s, priceless!! Don’t want anyone getting in the way of Colin’s ego more like"
Born a wolves
"I am ture Wolves supporter, but hope cardiff and Fulham do cope and stay up in prem.. Why because it shows the championship was not easy to get out off, and that there are some good teams in it....."
Dudleywolf
"Well looks like Cardiff will be going down! Very similar to when my team went up under Dave Jones, spent very little and sank without trace the following season!"
JamesJ
"When we went up under Dave Jones? If you want to try and insult us, at least get your facts right."
I think the last poster (JamesJ) has got the wrong en of the stick. Dudleywolf was surely commenting on Dave Jones getting Wolves promoted, which he did it in 2001 (they were immediately relegated before he was then sacked) rather than Cardiff City, where he was 'the nearly man'
Inthecitybluebird
"Unfortunately the CCS hasn’t been anywhere near full for at least two seasons, parachute payments over and when we initially went down the club was still trusting their then managers to make the financial calls regarding transfers and we suffered for it. Malky and then Ole were given too much money for the wrong players and it’s taken years to clean up the mess. Now NW and the board will get it right for this coming season and more importantly the following ones."
MrKhansHairStylist
"Sad 'article', isn't it? Fulham lost 7 players from their promotion squad and the LOAN fee for Schürrle is 350k"
JONNYFFC
"You’ve only spent £5mill less than Fulham! Not sure you can play the sob story card yet. Remember this isn’t Xfactor it’s the premier league!
Also, you overachieved massively last year and were fortunate to go up. Not that Im taking anything away from you. Under pressure you held your nerve and massive congratulations for that. I feel next season will be a struggle though. Pre season is confirming that."
markybluebird62
"what a load of s--t"
Wolfmeister
"Ha ha we don’t want any big time Charlie’s, priceless!! Don’t want anyone getting in the way of Colin’s ego more like"
Born a wolves
"I am ture Wolves supporter, but hope cardiff and Fulham do cope and stay up in prem.. Why because it shows the championship was not easy to get out off, and that there are some good teams in it....."
Dudleywolf
"Well looks like Cardiff will be going down! Very similar to when my team went up under Dave Jones, spent very little and sank without trace the following season!"
JamesJ
"When we went up under Dave Jones? If you want to try and insult us, at least get your facts right."
I think the last poster (JamesJ) has got the wrong en of the stick. Dudleywolf was surely commenting on Dave Jones getting Wolves promoted, which he did it in 2001 (they were immediately relegated before he was then sacked) rather than Cardiff City, where he was 'the nearly man'
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Re: Why Cardiff are calm about their transfer policy despitt
Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:56 am
"Also, you overachieved massively last year and were fortunate to go up. Not that Im taking anything away from you."
Re: Why Cardiff are calm about their transfer policy despitt
Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:05 am
nubbsy wrote:"Also, you overachieved massively last year and were fortunate to go up. Not that Im taking anything away from you."
Happy clapper has turned into Happy contradiction. What an utter knob
Re: Why Cardiff are calm about their transfer policy despitt
Fri Jul 27, 2018 9:57 am
Tony Blue Williams wrote:nubbsy wrote:"Also, you overachieved massively last year and were fortunate to go up. Not that Im taking anything away from you."
Happy clapper has turned into Happy contradiction. What an utter knob
Just a small club in Chelsea...!
