Owner Tan is weighing up his options after Bluebirds' failur

Cardiff City owner Tan is weighing up his options after Bluebirds' failure to reach the Premier League


Tuesday 4th August 2020

Vincent Tan has a huge call to make


The path he chooses next is likely to determine whether the Bluebirds become a genuine promotion-chasing team under Neil Harris next season, or whether they turn into mid-table also-rans.






Those close to Tan indicate he appears to have three options as he ponders the next move for Wales' capital city club,

1: Burn more money on transfers, which was funded by nearly £400mill from parachute payments and incomes after two promotions to the Premier League.

This option would free up the funds for Neil Harris to sign three or four quality players this summer to make a genuine push for automatic promotion next season - but it would come against the backdrop of a Covid-19 crisis which has hit football in general and Tan's leisure businesses in the far east.






2: Alter the cost base of the club.

This would mean Tan trying to offset losses by significantly trimming the playing budget and even selling some star players. It would most likely turn Cardiff into a mid-table team - and that is something the hugely ambitious Tan has never wanted.





3: Sell the club.

I'm told a Cardiff City sale document does exist behind the scenes and has been for the last four years, although I'm also assured this is quite standard practice in business and not too much should be read into it. Tan has recently turned down two offers from abroad to buy the Bluebirds and it seems unlikely he will be heading head down this route any time soon, either.

So, what will happen as Tan and his confidantes look at the next step of his Bluebirds adventure following the failure to edge past Fulham in the play-offs, meaning they are consigned to Championship football again next season?

Only Tan can answer that question and I'm told he is weighing up the various scenarios in Malaysia, though obviously in constant communication with Cardiff's senior management.

It is a situation which is understandably occupying his thoughts because of what's happened with Covid-19.

As well as seeing his businesses affected, Tan has still had to delve into his pockets during lockdown to keep the Bluebirds afloat by paying an estimated monthly wage bill of £2m, with no income coming in via match-day revenue.

With the Premier League parachute payments also coming down for Cardiff, these are among the issues Tan is looking at before deciding whether to free up substantial funds for Harris in the summer transfer window.


To put some perspective on this, Tan estimates he has in effect committed £165m of his personal fortune in funding the club since buying Cardiff a decade ago, thankfully returned through the parachute payments.

He estimates to be 'burning' on average around £25m a year, the difference between revenue and costs.


Tan could cut his losses, even get an element of that money back, by selling Cardiff. But there are also £45m of liabilities hanging over the club from the ongoing Emiliano Sala case and shock legal action launched against the Bluebirds by former owner Sam Hammam, who feels the terms of his Presidency were breached, and ex-director Michael Issac, whose shares were diluted.








Cardiff are confident of winning the three cases against them, but would a prospective buyer really take on the club in those circumstances given they have not reached the Premier League?

Tan will only give up the reins to people he genuinely believes can take Cardiff City to the next level - he didn't feel the previous two offers, one from Canada, the other also from abroad, were right for the club.



As a capital city club, Cardiff City have enormous potential and a huge fan base to tap into if they get it right and can sustain top-flight success.

Part of Tan senses he can still achieve that under his own watch.

So in reality the next step of Cardiff's adventure boils down to one of two choices - accepting financial reality and cutting costs dramatically, as was the case briefly under Russell Slade, or pushing the boat out again, as happened under Neil Warnock, and really going for automatic promotion in 2020-21.

It isn't Tan's style to do mid-table mediocrity, he has won two promotions with Cardiff and wants a third - and this time for the Bluebirds to stabilise themselves in the Premier League.

As such, when push comes to shove and after careful thought the likelihood, marginally, is that he will opt to burn more money and free up funds for Harris.

Already the Bluebirds boss has made it clear he wants to sign Wales striker Kieffer Moore and make him a focal point he can build a promotion challenge around.

Moore will probably cost around £3m and there is a feeling he can finally be the 20-goal striker Cardiff have coveted since the days of Jay Bothroyd and Michael Chopra.

The fact he plays for Wales too is a bonus. The fans would afford Moore latitude if he didn't hit the ground running with goals straight away.

Cardiff haven't had anywhere near enough Welsh players in their line-up in recent years. Moore and Will Vaulks would alter that dynamic for the better.

Harris faces a lot of competition from other Championship clubs, but hopes to land his man.


But Cardiff need more than Moore, no pun intended.

Under Harris they finished fifth and to go to the next stage, which is top two, the Bluebirds need quality, not quantity this summer.

Lee Tomlin has been brilliant, but given his fitness issues Harris badly needs back up in the creative 10 position.

That kind of individual won't come cheap.

A right-back is a necessity, but Harris will also explore options at centre-half, midfield and on the wing.

The key is landing players who are good enough to step straight into the first XI and improve the side to drive the Bluebirds over the promotion line.

But that means spending money. Again.


Given the vast sums that were wasted on the likes of Andreas Cornelius, Gary Madine and others during the Tan watch, you could forgive the owner for being a little reticent in the current climate.

But the feeling is he will go again.

There might, however, be something of a compromise solution he can also instruct Harris and Bluebirds chief executive Ken Choo to work towards.




Cardiff's squad is already bloated and to land the quality newcomers he wants Harris may be told to sell players who became fringe figures under him.

Harris will have to offload players, before he can bring new ones in.

This would at least enable Cardiff to balance the books a little.

Who those players could be, and how much Cardiff could raise, is anyone's guess.

But Neil Etheridge, for example, was wanted in an £8m move by West Ham a year ago. He is a quality goalkeeper in his own right, but has lost his place to Alex Smithies. Only one of those two can play.

They are each excellent, each deserve to.

Aden Flint was signed for more than £4m, but it hasn't worked out for whatever reason. He may also need to leave to get the week in, week out action he will want, particularly if Harris wishes to bring in another centre-back.

Josh Murphy is an enigma. On his day he can be a world-beater at this level, but his confidence looks low at times. Could Cardiff cash in there, or does Harris make Murphy a mainstay of his side next season with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on the other wing?

If Harris wants another midfielder, does one of his current players in that position need to head through the departure door?




Again, none of this is as simple as it appears. Other clubs will also be looking to trim their own wage bills, cut down on paying hefty transfer fees because of the financial crisis and that may make it difficult for Cardiff to slim down their squad as much as Tan might like.

That might affect Tan's decision-making process. It's highly complicated.

But when he weighs up the options in front of him, the hope is Tan will give it another go because you sense promotion will be up for grabs next season for a team ready to push the boat out.




The big two of Leeds and West Brom are out of the way. They went up because they had world-renowned managers in Marcelo Bielsa and Slaven Bilic.

Stoke will be a force, but is there really too much for Cardiff to fear?

The sides who have come down from the Premier League could struggle to adjust. Norwich in particular, while Bournemouth and Watford are almost certain to sell their best players and have managerial issues to sort out.

None of the teams who have come up from League One, Coventry, Rotherham and Wycombe, can really expect to be in the promotion mix.

With quality acquisitions Cardiff can push for the top two, but Tan also wants to see his dream of home-grown players given their chance by Harris to make the most of an Academy which was largely spurned by some of his predecessors in the job.

There is a misnomer about Cardiff's Academy. The talent is most certainly there - Craig Bellamy raves about some of it. The key is a first team manager courageous enough to give the youngsters a chance.

Harris appears more receptive to that idea than other Cardiff bosses who preferred experience to youth, but Tan will want to see evidence of that happening to convince him the club really is heading in the right direction.

The more immediate task is how to approach the transfer window that has just opened.

The quality of the signings Cardiff make in the coming days and weeks, and possible outgoings, will tell us a lot about the next stage of the Tan adventure.

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400 million of parachute payments where do.these clowns get there information from its no where near that

Will we show some real ambition, or not ?

God help us if he’s planning on making Murphy the mainstay of our side. He’s 100% the opposite to what we need. The guy has no fight in him whatsoever definitely not a Harris type player

Hasn't NH stated the academy will be utilised?

Income for all championship clubs will be very low this year as a result of restrictions due the Covid virus exept for those with parachute payments. We may have a large debt but its chiefly due to Tan so unless he needs it back soon there will be no pressure from our creditors. We are in the fortunate position of having the parachute payment, which even allowing for the high wage bill we have in comparison to many other championship clubs will mean should be in a better position financially than most. There will be some real bargains out there and whilst I wont blame Tan if he chooses to play safe and cut costs, I think this is the year to go for it.

Who wrote that?

I would be surprised if he goes for it and throws a lot of money to try and get automatic promotion again.

Mostly likely scenario, I expect, is for to let Harris let go some fringe players and then bring in a few players of his own.

Don't think any star players will leave unless someone offers considerably more than what they're worth.

Vincent Tan isn't a gambler with his money these days, unlike the owners of Fulham, Bournemouth etc.

I would be surprised if he goes for it and throws a lot of money to try and get automatic promotion again.

Mostly likely scenario, I expect, is for to let Harris let go some fringe players and then bring in a few players of his own.

Don't think any star players will leave unless someone offers considerably more than what they're worth.

Vincent Tan isn't a gambler with his money these days, unlike the owners of Fulham, Bournemouth etc.

Pretty much how I see it

It makes me laugh that 'sources close to...' are ITK on this, as anyone with half an ounce of intelligence could work out those three options!

But I guess we must allow the sensationalists to have their moment...!

Told me earlier he's going for auto promo this season, as plenty of overpaid players waking up to a massive pay cut and desperate to have a job.

VT gonna tempt em aboard the City Prem Wagon.

400 million of parachute payments where do.these clowns get there information from its no where near that

Just missing the link to Daya’s pile of bollocks ‘newspaper’

400 million of parachute payments where do.these clowns get there information from its no where near that

Just missing the link to Daya’s pile of bollocks ‘newspaper’

Newspaper. Trade description. Idiot

As Dorothy said in the wizard of Oz - "we arent in Kansas anymore Toto"

Everything as we knew it has changed. Income streams have all been affected. No one will want to buy a football club in the present climate.

No one will want to pay an excess for players and seeing as clubs income will be severely restricted - then every price is now lower,

The only thing left for Tan to do - is cut the wage bill. Tell all players to take a cut or leave / play in the U23 squad with no match day appearance bonus etc. Get some kids in from the academy. Most other clubs will be the same I think.

As Dorothy said in the wizard of Oz - "we arent in Kansas anymore Toto"

Everything as we knew it has changed. Income streams have all been affected. No one will want to buy a football club in the present climate.

No one will want to pay an excess for players and seeing as clubs income will be severely restricted - then every price is now lower,

The only thing left for Tan to do - is cut the wage bill. Tell all players to take a cut or leave / play in the U23 squad with no match day appearance bonus etc. Get some kids in from the academy. Most other clubs will be the same I think.

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore.

As Dorothy said in the wizard of Oz - "we arent in Kansas anymore Toto"

Everything as we knew it has changed. Income streams have all been affected. No one will want to buy a football club in the present climate.

No one will want to pay an excess for players and seeing as clubs income will be severely restricted - then every price is now lower,

The only thing left for Tan to do - is cut the wage bill. Tell all players to take a cut or leave / play in the U23 squad with no match day appearance bonus etc. Get some kids in from the academy. Most other clubs will be the same I think.

Kansas ??
this isnt even the same universe..
yes you can tell players take a pay cut or leave.. which simultaneously makes them free agents and our club liable to pay up the remainder of their contracts..

400 million of parachute payments where do.these clowns get there information from its no where near that

no its not mate, but even if it had been that much its not like Tan has it un touched in an orange box under his bed...

Abbandonato wrote it.. bit surprised at that tbh..

The championship is there for the taking next season! No stand out big clubs as in previous years. We need to move on a lot of fringe players like Flint, Pack, Patterson Whyte, Bamba (maybe give him a coaching role) to name a few. 3 or 4 good signings and we could seriously mount a promotion push.

The championship is there for the taking next season! No stand out big clubs as in previous years. We need to move on a lot of fringe players like Flint, Pack, Patterson Whyte, Bamba (maybe give him a coaching role) to name a few. 3 or 4 good signings and we could seriously mount a promotion push.

I said that the other day and was shot down for even suggesting it, but i agree it is.

The one offer was accepted but Tan found out who it was and so withdrew.

The offer from America was actually accepted and they withdrew after seeing our books, not the other way around.

I put both out on here at the time.

The one offer was accepted but Tan found out who it was and so withdrew.

Must have been Sam then.

The one offer was accepted but Tan found out who it was and so withdrew.

Must have been Sam then.

Glad he did then.

The one offer was accepted but Tan found out who it was and so withdrew.

Must have been Sam then.

Glad he did then.

I have all the respect in the world for Sam and what he did for us but it went wrong at the end and he’s not what we need now. We need deep pockets.