‘ Joe Ralls / £5mill ‘

How Joe Ralls became the heartbeat of this Cardiff City side

Transfer market value Joe Ralls At £5mill.

Tuesday 3rd September 2019


By Glen Williams

The Bluebirds midfielder has been the standout player for Neil Warnock this season

In many ways, the fixture between Cardiff City and Fulham was the perfect way to gauge just how far Joe Ralls has come.

Last season, with the Bluebirds fighting it out in the Premier League, the midfielder at times played understudy to the likes of Harry Arter, Victor Camarasa and Aron Gunnarsson. Now, he's the first name on the Bluebirds team sheet.

On Friday, Ralls pitted his wits against former team-mate Arter and, it's fair to say, won the battle convincingly.

Arter was sent off after two bookable offences — the first for poleaxing Ralls and the second for simulation — while Cardiff's midfield maestro picked up the man of the match gong.

Camarasa, meanwhile, cannot buy a game at his new club Crystal Palace, and Bluebirds legend Gunnarsson, though still just 30, is starting a new journey in the relatively unknown realms of the Qatar Stars League.

But Ralls is undoubtedly in the ascendancy. Before the season, City knew that if this campaign was to be a success, their 25-year-old midfielder would need to have a big year. After six games, that box can certainly be ticked so far.




Of course, Ralls was a mainstay the year the Bluebirds were last promoted to the Premier League. Then just 23, he chipped in with seven goals and five assists and could be forgiven for thinking he would have a starring role to play in the top flight.

It didn't quite work out like that, but, testament to him and yet more evidence of his love for the Welsh capital club, he yearned for that responsibility once again. And, again, he is flourishing.

Despite occupying a relatively defensive central midfield role this year, Ralls is the club's top scorer this season, albeit with only two goals, and has often been the creator-in-chief alongside Lee Tomlin.

His work rate in defence is also an, often overlooked, asset, especially given the absence of Marlon Pack, and his relationship with Leandro Bacuna is just threatening to blossom.


Ralls is now the heartbeat of this Bluebirds side, a presence Cardiff simply cannot do without. If Neil Warnock ahead of the season was seriously planning on building the team around Bobby Reid, that must now be shifted on to Ralls.

Make no bones about it, Warnock is thin on the ground when it comes to midfield options, which makes it all the more important the midfielders has perform.

The industry of Ralls, the brawn of Bacuna and the guile of Tomlin, if all on song, could prove the perfect blend in the middle of the park, with Pack and Callum Paterson also pushing for places when they return to full fitness.

Football statistics website Transfermarkt values Ralls at £5million, the highest market value of his career to date, but you can bet Cardiff's top brass would demand a considerably higher figure should cash-rich Premier League clubs come calling – that is if they would even countenance a deal for him at all.

But just how do you put a price tag on someone who offers as much as Ralls does to a club like Cardiff City?



Joe Ralls celebrates after scoring for Cardiff City against Huddersfield (Image: Gareth Everett/Huw Evans Agency)
He was brought into the Bluebirds academy in July 2011, aged just 17, for a nominal fee — he came from Farnborough along with Jordan Carter — after Fulham had also shown a real interest, indeed he had agreed to play in a trial match for the Cottagers.

But now, a little over eight years later, he is showing Fulham exactly what they missed out on and Cardiff fans just why he has all the makings of a bona fide club icon.

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Joe Ralls is a very good championship player.

His problem is I think he seems to be one of those players who are just not suited or not quite good enough for the top league. It happens to a lot of players.

Camarasa should have come back here and become a club icon, he is what we are missing in midfield. Palace was the wrong move for him and he will now end up being forgotten then going back to Spain

He's maturing into a very good player.I think up to now perhaps consistency and decision making have been sometimes lacking but not this season it seems.These days I think 5m is a bit skinny for a player of his calibre,I mean,who could you bring in for that money to replace him?

Would it be worth trying to get Camarasa on loan in January if he still can't get in the Palace team. We would probably need to be pushing for a playoff place to make it worthwhile, not worth paying his wages if we are going to finish in mid table.

Incidentally what does it say about our standards and Palace's that we though he was our best player and he can't even get in the Palace team.Would anyone from Cardiff get in the Palace team.

Ive always liked Ralls, I think he has more to his game than he is allowed to show at City, I think in another set up he could get his fair share of goals.

Worth more than 5m of anyones money.

Would it be worth trying to get Camarasa on loan in January if he still can't get in the Palace team. We would probably need to be pushing for a playoff place to make it worthwhile, not worth paying his wages if we are going to finish in mid table.

Incidentally what does it say about our standards and Palace's that we though he was our best player and he can't even get in the Palace team.Would anyone from Cardiff get in the Palace team.

Same as Bournemouth letting Arter leave to join us when he couldn’t get into their 25 man squad.

Different levels.

Ralls does a lot of good work that goes unnoticed. Quite happy for that to happen if it means teams don’t recognise his quality and won’t want to pinch him!

He's maturing into a very good player.I think up to now perhaps consistency and decision making have been sometimes lacking but not this season it seems.These days I think 5m is a bit skinny for a player of his calibre,I mean,who could you bring in for that money to replace him?

Agreed,no way would 5m be enough,he's been the standout player so far,but people like to have a go at our players regardless,it's a worrying trend on here this year

Never understood the criticism Joe gets. Gives you a 7/10 every game and is a 1 man midfield at times. I dread to think what would happen if Ralls got injured.

Never understood the criticism Joe gets. Gives you a 7/10 every game and is a 1 man midfield at times. I dread to think what would happen if Ralls got injured.

I tend to agree he is our best midfielder buttt I still think hes got alot to prove.

We could do with our captain being in midfield i think that captain went last season