Cardiff City boss Neil Harris expects January transfer

Cardiff City boss Neil Harris expects January transfer departures as he asks hierarchy for time to judge players

The Bluebirds have a bloated squad and new manager Neil Harris is keen to trim the numbers down before they recruit new players in the January transfer window

Friday 6th December 2019


The Bluebirds have a bloated squad and new manager Neil Harris is keen to trim the numbers down before they recruit new players in the January transfer window

Neil Harris has admitted he expects players to leave Cardiff City next month as he ramps up his efforts to streamline his bloated squad.

The Bluebirds have close to 30 senior players on staff and Harris wants that number to be cut in January and lowered further by the summer.

It is understood we are unlikely to see a mass cull next month; however by the end of the season, the manager will have a better idea of who he wants in and who he doesn't.

One thing looks certain, though: fans will see players leave in January.

"We’ve discussed with the board that the group is too big," Harris said.

"If we are thinking about bringing players in, it has to be the right quality of player. It’s making sure we get value for money, whether that's loan players, looking at budget etc, or buying someone, it has to be 100 percent right for Cardiff City.

"I expect players to leave in January.

"And sometimes it’s just good to add a player or two to galvanise the group.

"But there is no set structure on what we are spending or doing.

"All I’ve asked is I’m allowed time to be fully respectful to the players I’ve got and judge them."

When pressed on his ideal number of players he would like in the squad, Harris was reticent to pin down an exact figure.

However, if he is to create a pathway for some of the hugely-talented youngsters making a name for themselves in the academy, he knows there simply have to be departures over the next nine months.

"The group is too big," he reiterated.

"Ideally you want to do an 11v11 with 22 players [in training], but we’ve got too many at the moment.

"You always want to include the young lads and when you can’t involve some very, very good young players then the group is too big.

"The 'ideal number' might depend on injuries come January, but it’s too big at the moment."

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Think we should be braced for very little excitement in this and future transfer windows judging by the comments.

Think we should be braced for very little excitement in this and future transfer windows judging by the comments.

You very rarely get exited anyway, so no change there we do have a bloated squad,we want to give chances to the young stars of the future,why shouldn't we? I don't see anything he is saying as untrue,may not exit you,but it's the right way to go imho.

I would have absolutely no issue with spending little in the transfer marker if I had any faith that the club had a correct operating model in which to locate or unearth talent. And I mean specifically abroad where there are bargains aplenty but we have for years bought little. The issue is that our scouting network is so terrible we are left with crap from a small pool

Think we should be braced for very little excitement in this and future transfer windows judging by the comments.

You very rarely get exited anyway, so no change there we do have a bloated squad,we want to give chances to the young stars of the future,why shouldn't we? I don't see anything he is saying as untrue,may not exit you,but it's the right way to go imho.

bloated squad..?
who was fit but not included in the match day squad against Forest.?
I make it 2 keepers and Bogle { who has been involved himself I presume because of injuries and suspensions }.

I would have absolutely no issue with spending little in the transfer marker if I had any faith that the club had a correct operating model in which to locate or unearth talent. And I mean specifically abroad where there are bargains aplenty but we have for years bought little. The issue is that our scouting network is so terrible we are left with crap from a small pool

is it the scouting network or is it the club don't want to be paying fees for kids ?
reading the board I think a lot of people think the academy should produce purely from local talent.. I lean more towards what you posted and cast the net further..

I would have absolutely no issue with spending little in the transfer marker if I had any faith that the club had a correct operating model in which to locate or unearth talent. And I mean specifically abroad where there are bargains aplenty but we have for years bought little. The issue is that our scouting network is so terrible we are left with crap from a small pool

is it the scouting network or is it the club don't want to be paying fees for kids ?
reading the board I think a lot of people think the academy should produce purely from local talent.. I lean more towards what you posted and cast the net further..

I never meant just local talent, and agree with both of you,the foreign market is cheap,and you can unearth a gem or two,I'm not really that into the suggestion from tan,that he wants more local (welsh) talent playing here and on the international scene,great idea,but not really practical imo.let's hope neil has different scouting team,or the very least have a big say on what he's looking at for the benefit of the team.

I would have absolutely no issue with spending little in the transfer marker if I had any faith that the club had a correct operating model in which to locate or unearth talent. And I mean specifically abroad where there are bargains aplenty but we have for years bought little. The issue is that our scouting network is so terrible we are left with crap from a small pool

is it the scouting network or is it the club don't want to be paying fees for kids ?
reading the board I think a lot of people think the academy should produce purely from local talent.. I lean more towards what you posted and cast the net further..

I never meant just local talent, and agree with both of you,the foreign market is cheap,and you can unearth a gem or two,I'm not really that into the suggestion from tan,that he wants more local (welsh) talent playing here and on the international scene,great idea,but not really practical imo.let's hope neil has different scouting team,or the very least have a big say on what he's looking at for the benefit of the team.

ive made the point a number of times...our National team has always had to rely on 2nd tier players , players who are not regulars at their clubs and of late more and more players that qualify through parents/grandparents.. and that's from the whole of Wales...imagine we had all them come through our academy...some like Rambo , Bale , Allen , Brookes , ampadu etc { not that they are all local anyway } would only be here 5 mins before being syphoned off by bigger clubs and many of the others might not even be good enough for our 1st team.. where this idea that our academy under performs ius brimming with talent and should be aiming at a team full of locals comes from I don't know..
its something that ideally most fans would love.. but its pie in the sky.

5 out in January.
Bamba, Murphy, Whyte, Ward and maybe Smithies. Harris will then bring in one or two o his own players.

5 out in January.
Bamba, Murphy, Whyte, Ward and maybe Smithies. Harris will then bring in one or two o his own players.

So you want to get rid of our best centre back in Bamba
Our best striker in Ward
Our best winger in Murphy
And arguably our best keeper

But you would keep dead wood like Connolly, Joe Day, Vassell, Glatzel , Vaulks , Richard's and Bogle ?

Makes sense to me

Makes sense

5 out in January.
Bamba, Murphy, Whyte, Ward and maybe Smithies. Harris will then bring in one or two o his own players.

So you want to get rid of our best centre back in Bamba
Our best striker in Ward
Our best winger in Murphy
And arguably our best keeper

But you would keep dead wood like Connolly, Joe Day, Vassell, Glatzel , Vaulks , Richard's and Bogle ?

Makes sense to me

Makes sense

I would expect Smithies to be moved on to be fair, clearly Harris prefers Etheridge and no doubt the wage bill needs to be reduced and I guess that's why Day was brought in.

I disagree about Ward. He's OK off the bench but general play isn't up to it and always am injury around the corner.

Murphy I like but seems to be out of favour.

Bamba is out of contract in the summer, if Warnock gets another job if bet he will go to him. He have a surplus of CBs so it makes sense to release the oldest who also has the strongest contract. Hopefully he takes Connolly as well.

I think we may see more of Vaulks under Harris in time.

5 out in January.
Bamba, Murphy, Whyte, Ward and maybe Smithies. Harris will then bring in one or two o his own players.

So you want to get rid of our best centre back in Bamba
Our best striker in Ward
Our best winger in Murphy
And arguably our best keeper

But you would keep dead wood like Connolly, Joe Day, Vassell, Glatzel , Vaulks , Richard's and Bogle ?

Makes sense to me

Makes sense

I would expect Smithies to be moved on to be fair, clearly Harris prefers Etheridge and no doubt the wage bill needs to be reduced and I guess that's why Day was brought in.

I disagree about Ward. He's OK off the bench but general play isn't up to it and always am injury around the corner.

Murphy I like but seems to be out of favour.

Bamba is out of contract in the summer, if Warnock gets another job if bet he will go to him. He have a surplus of CBs so it makes sense to release the oldest who also has the strongest contract. Hopefully he takes Connolly as well.

I think we may see more of Vaulks under Harris in time.

We all know as soon as Warnock gets a new club Bamba will join up with him, Connelly will be let go for nothing but we need to raise money for new signings and we will only get money for Smithies, Ward and Murphy. Whyte will be sent out on loan.

We need competition for Bennett, he has been poor all season.

I think perhaps Harris has been told that he can have any money from outgoing sales in January but other than that there will be little or no money available to add to the squad.

The problem is that I can't see there being much interest in the vast majority of our players and we would have to take a massive hit on the transfer fees of players like Murphy and Madine if we wanted to sell them.

Who could we realistically sell for more than a couple of million pounds in January?

Etheridge? Not if anyone has watched him since he came back when he has looked decidedly shaky and his kicking is shocking!

Mendez Laing?

Morrison? Can't help that he's not in the team at the moment?

I just worry that it's going to prove extremely difficult to find many clubs in the Championship willing to pay decent money for any of our players.

Find it hard to believe how we can offer new contracts to many of the out contract players for next season, especially as we have to reduce the numbers to give youth a chance and fetch in new recruits.
Connoly zero chance
Bamba 50/50
Bogle zero chance
Richards zero chance
Madine 10%
Ward 100%
Tomlin 50/50

Find it hard to believe how we can offer new contracts to many of the out contract players for next season, especially as we have to reduce the numbers to give youth a chance and fetch in new recruits.
Connoly zero chance
Bamba 50/50
Bogle zero chance
Richards zero chance
Madine 10%
Ward 100%
Tomlin 50/50

I'd probably offer Medine and Tomlin reduced terms. The rest can go.