The Cardiff City starlet who could save Bluebirds millions a

The Cardiff City starlet who could save Bluebirds millions and be at the heart of Neil Harris' rebuilding project


By Reece Chambers



Ntazana Mayembe has an extremely bright future ahead of him at Cardiff City

Thursday 5th March 2020


Cardiff City’s rebuilding project under Neil Harris is yet to fully take off, but the appointment of Steve Morison as under-23s coach points towards a future that could see a clearer pathway for young Bluebirds.

The club’s track record of producing talent in the academy that develops into first-team quality has been poor in recent years. Since the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Joe Ledley and Chris Gunter progressed through the academy ranks and made their names in senior football, there has been minimal talent coming through the system.




However, with Harris promising a closer relationship with youth development since he came to the club in November last year, there has been an increase in interest from fans who want to see the next crop of young Bluebirds make it into the senior side.

One player who has earned the attention of Harris, Morison and the fans has been 17-year-old Ntazana Mayembe. The Bridgend boy has excelled for both the under-23s and under-18s this season since being pushed up the academy ranks.

He was then rewarded for his good performances in the youth set-up by being named in the senior side’s matchday squad for ties against West Brom and Reading in the Championship and FA Cup earlier this year. Had he featured in either of those fixtures, he would have become one of the youngest ever representatives of the club at senior level.

Such an inclusion for the teenager showcases just how highly the Cardiff City backroom staff rate the youngster. However, there quite clearly needs to be time and patience given to Mayembe as he continues to develop as a player.


At the age of 17, the young Bluebirds star should be given the room to develop at academy level for the near future but slow integration into the first team looks to be on the agenda.

If his recent performances at youth level are anything to go by, Mayembe appears to have the potential to become a first-team star in years to come. The very nature of his talent means that he is an exciting prospect for the Bluebirds.

Mayembe possesses an electrifying amount of pace that clearly ranks as one of his main qualities. On top of that, he has shown conviction in front of goal for the under-23s and under-18s this season.

In November, Mayembe scored and assisted in a 2-2 draw against Bristol City under-23s. His goal, for starters, showed that he can shoot from range with a thunderous strike into the back of the net.

However, what showcased his talent most against Bristol City was his pace and composure in attacking situations. As shown below, he gets into positions that give him the opportunity to create chances with a run that had started on the halfway line.


Mayembe assists Joel Bagan for the young Bluebirds. (Image: Cardiff City)
The end product to find Joel Bagan in the area illustrates two key elements of Mayembe’s game. Firstly, the fact that his pace allows him to get into dangerous attacking positions. Such raw speed is something that will probably continue to develop in the coming years as the youngster grows into adulthood.

Secondly, and most importantly, Mayembe has the awareness and quality to deliver an accurate pass to Bagan who finishes with ease. This part of his overall game is undoubtedly his most impressive attribute and allows him to fully capitalise on his raw speed.

His two goals and assist against Ipswich Town under-18s in December, too, further demonstrated the quality he has to offer. The key now, of course, is the way that he continues to develop and whether he can integrate into senior football.


For all of Mayembe’s potential, there is still clearly work to do in terms of getting him ready for that big jump up to the senior side. The teen is of slight stature which could possibly see him struggle with the physical nature of senior football at this moment of time.

However, such room for development is to be expected given his young age. Bluebirds boss Harris has been an advocate of utilising academy talent since he came to the club.



“The club is crying out for the opportunity for young players to be brought through," he said. "It’s not going to be overnight because of the size of the first-team squad, but over the next six to 12 months, I want to see that pathway develop.

“I know James McCarthy, the head of the academy, wants to see that as well. And I know the club want to see it and the fans want to see it.”


For Mayembe, such intent from Harris to use the academy is something that should be an encouraging indication. It is believed that the club rate him very highly and see him as a future star.

The crucial thing now is being able to closely monitor the progression of Mayembe for the remainder of the season. Indeed, the relationship between Harris and Morison would suggest that continued dialogue between the first team and academy improves - and such a thriving relationship would surely bode well for Mayembe who will be looking to build on his impressive season so far.

One thing is for sure, if he is able to fulfill his potential and make that step up to the first team, the Bluebirds could be saving millions on a bright star for the future.

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If this new drive to get the Youth into the first team works out then it will be interesting to see if they are sold on or kept.

We hear a lot about young, exiting players who are "raw" and need development. A few of the top Premier teams have not been afraid to play their youngsters and it's working out. So if they're good enough now, put them in, we could do with a shot of enthusiasm in the team right now.

Hopefully they could get a couple of games this season, like the look of Sang as well

poor article really, saying he could save us millions, when we know we only have pennies to spend. whilst play offs are a possibility i doubt we'll see academy players being bled through, if with about 5 games to go and play offs are impossible then we will see them come through because they will be meaningless games

We hear a lot about young, exiting players who are "raw" and need development. A few of the top Premier teams have not been afraid to play their youngsters and it's working out. So if they're good enough now, put them in, we could do with a shot of enthusiasm in the team right now.

All very well saying put hem in but don't forget when the likes of Man City etc throw a youngster in that youngster is surrounded by world class to get him out of trouble !!
Think at last we may be doing it the right way with the link between Harris and the academy, bit of patience by us fans needed though

Not really about saving us £millions surely.

All fans want home grown youngsters coming through. Let's not put added pressure on any of them.

Any one that's really good will no doubt be sold and that money, that otherwise we won't have, will be spent on others.

Lets hope they are just good enough to make us better but not good enough for top table until we are there again at which stage their development pushes on and they are accomplished PL players who play there for years for us.

Would be nice if with 5 games to go and no real chance of play offs to see some of the youngsters given some experience like Mayembe, Bowen, Sang, and D'Almeida. Will be interesting to see what Harris does with Radcliffe, Waite and Griffifths next season who have all done well on loan and Joel Bagan who looked very promising against Reading.

We hear a lot about young, exiting players who are "raw" and need development. A few of the top Premier teams have not been afraid to play their youngsters and it's working out. So if they're good enough now, put them in, we could do with a shot of enthusiasm in the team right now.

All very well saying put hem in but don't forget when the likes of Man City etc throw a youngster in that youngster is surrounded by world class to get him out of trouble !!
Think at last we may be doing it the right way with the link between Harris and the academy, bit of patience by us fans needed though

Tend to agree with you, except that Man C etc are playing against world class players, it's all relative, we play championship teams who are also blooding young players, we should be doing the same.

Do we really need articles like this putting unnecessary pressure on young players who, if were as good as the article makes out, would have had a shout with the first team by now.
I watch the age groups quite often, and while this kid does possess good pace, I feel he's a long way off at the moment.
For what it's worth, I would rate Joel Bagan and Thomas Sang a lot higher than Mayembe.

I'll bet he's dreaming of a move to united or arsenal anyway