UPDATE ON NML - SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED AND SOME REMAIN

Everything we know so far about Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's Cardiff City contract termination and the questions that still remain
By Glen Williams

The former Bluebirds winger was axed by the club following what they call a 'serious breach of contract' just days out from the beginning of the season


Just three days out from the start of Cardiff City's 2020/21 Championship campaign, the club's fans were dealt a major blow when they learned one of their best players had just had his contract terminated.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing was let go for what Neil Harris described on Thursday as a "serious breach of contract" after the club had announced the news in a stunning statement on Wednesday afternoon.


Here is everything we know so far and the big questions which still remain unanswered...


The bombshell announcement

There is no denying this came completely out of the blue.

When Neil Harris said the player had not turned up during pre-season due to personal reasons, all supporters took him at his word, as you would expect.

There was nothing out of the ordinary and no one wants to pry into an off-field personal issue, so City fans were right to think this would all be resolved and he would form part of a vaunted attacking line-up ready to take aim at the top of the Championship table this term.

Then, at 2pm on Wednesday, the club's announcement dropped, containing 26 words which spelled the end of Mendez-Laing's stay in the Welsh capital.

The statement read: "Cardiff City Football Club has, with immediate effect, terminated the contract of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

"The club will not be making any further comment on the matter."

The curtness, while understandable given the legal wranglings which appear to be bubbling beneath the surface, raised more questions than it answered.


The deleted social media pages

After the announcement, as can be expected, the rumour mill was rife, and it is best to apply some moderation when surfing social media and forums.

But eagle-eyed Bluebirds fans had spotted Mendez-Laing had indeed taken down his social media pages weeks before the announcement.

Some thought that, after he and his partner had just recently celebrated the birth of their first child, the player was seeking a little privacy in the off-season. And that might well have been the case.

On Friday morning, Mendez-Laing unblocked his social media, choosing to re-engage his Instagram page.

The only post he uploaded was a screenshot of a statement, issued on Thursday by his management.

It read: "Following on from [Wednesday's] announcement that I have left Cardiff City FC, I would like to place on record my thanks to the fans for the support they have shown me over the past three years".

"I will be making no further comment at this time."

Fans are unable to leave comments on the post as the function has been disabled.


As his social media goes, the player had been through an undulating few months.

On June 20, he had his car smashed up and broken into on the eve of the Bluebirds' Championship return against Leeds United.

Before the game, he was staying at the Mercure Hotel on Newport Road in Cardiff on the eve of the match. This was the case because he lives away from the Cardiff area.

He posted the photos on Instagram and wrote: "Somebody broke into my car outside Mercure Hotel, Newport Road, Cardiff, if anybody hears anything lemme know."

With his car incapacitated, Mendez-Laing was forced to order a taxi to Cardiff City Stadium ahead of the match.

On July 8, however, there was happy news when the player shared on Instagram that his partner had given birth to his baby boy, Táo.

But it wasn't long before the page was temporarily taken down.


A wall of silence

Trying to get to the ins and outs behind this decision has been like trying to get blood out of a stone.

There has largely been radio silence from the player's camp, releasing only the initial statement in which Mendez-Laing thanked City fans for their support over the last three years.

The PFA had been consulted throughout this process, however they have not responded to a request for comment made by WalesOnline.

Similarly, the EFL are not commenting after contact was made by WalesOnline.

The club have been unable to make any further, official announcements following their initial statement.

It must be said, though, Neil Harris fronted up and spoke brilliantly in his Thursday afternoon press conference.

He said he was bound by "legal protocol" not to divulge too much information, but gave a clear indication of the gravity of the situation and the fact the decision was not taken lightly.

"It’s a decision that hasn’t been taken lightly, it’s a serious decision that impacts on the football club and Mendez," the manager said.

"A lot of thought has gone into it but ultimately a decision was taken for the best interest of Cardiff City Football Club."

Harris said he was comfortable with the decision that had been taken.

The manager also said his door was always open if Mendez-Laing needed someone to lean on, but he had not spoken to the player in the 48 hours preceding Thursday's press conference.


The previous mysterious exit

Firstly, the caveat must be made that no links can be drawn between his Bluebirds departure and his mysterious exit at Peterborough, but it is certainly noteworthy.

Back in November 2012, Darren Ferguson's Peterborough United fined and transfer listed Mendez-Laing and three others over a "breach of club discipline".

Like in this instance, the reality of what that actually meant remained unclear, but what followed was a loan spell to Portsmouth just three days later.

"Peterborough United are disappointed to report that Gabriel Zakuani, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Emile Sinclair and Tyrone Barnett have been transfer-listed and fined by the football club following an internal investigation into a breach of club discipline," the statement read at the time.

"The club will be making no further comment on the matter."

So, while direct comparisons cannot be drawn between what happened there and what has happened at Cardiff, there is no getting away from the fact this is now two departures which have been shrouded in mystery.

He was eventually taken back in by Posh, with Ferguson claiming he held "no grudges" against Mendez-Laing for what had happened.


The unanswered questions

Quite clearly, this leaves a lot of unanswered questions.

Just what the breach of contract was and the severity of it are the two key questions which remain and whether they will be answered in time is anyone's guess at the moment. Only time will tell on that one.

But another important question Cardiff City fans will have will relate to what the player's immediate future holds.

Will it be the case that he will rock up at a rival club this summer and tear it up for them next season? Or will be out of the game for an extended period?

He is now unattached, too, so even if this rumbles on past the October 16 transfer deadline, he might still be taken on as a free agent elsewhere.

"That’s not for me to answer at the moment," Harris said when the question was put to him. "I think Nathaniel has proven himself to be a very good player at this level.

"Only time will tell what the future holds for Mendy."

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Should not the title of this article read "No questions answered and nothing clarified".

Should not the title of this article read "No questions answered and nothing clarified".

its a typical WOL article tbh... nothing new but it does cover everything thats been said for anyone not up to date on it...

WOL are just rubbish arent they - nothing added to what everyone already knows.
No new 'news' , why do they bother - they are reporting on what has already been reported

I think we can rule out that he's done anything really bad by the fact Harris has said his door would always be open to him etc and that he always got on well with him.
If it was massively serious he would surely be distancing himself from him?

I think we can rule out that he's done anything really bad by the fact Harris has said his door would always be open to him etc and that he always got on well with him.
If it was massively serious he would surely be distancing himself from him?

well pretty serious from the clubs point of view. enough to sack him and seemingly lose any value in selling him..
couple of people have claimed there are charges and he has been to court but no press reports on either.. ?
maybe your right mate. and its not massively serious as in law breaking...and Harris initial reasons for him not doing pre season because he had personal reasons was the truth and is on going.. he defo had issues just prior to the restart.. is it possible the club do not see his personal reasons valid as its been weeks of paying someone who hasnt been around , and maybe with no signs or timeline of him coming back have drawn a line under it..

Could it be a drug issue and Harris is just saying that if NML needs to talk, he's there ??

I'm starting to think now the asthma roll out stories after a dip in during the breakout season also a cover story. Perhaps club was giving him help then?

If just a club issue why not just put him up for sale instead of losing money? More you look at it more you think there is a legal block on news coming out! Cannot remember such an incident occurring and reason not being leaked by a news paper? Getting sacked is extreme especially if player is worth money.

I'm starting to think now the asthma roll out stories after a dip in during the breakout season also a cover story. Perhaps club was giving him help then?

or maybe not ?

If just a club issue why not just put him up for sale instead of losing money? More you look at it more you think there is a legal block on news coming out! Cannot remember such an incident occurring and reason not being leaked by a news paper? Getting sacked is extreme especially if player is worth money.

Allan, you're understanding the seriousness of the situation and it's worth noting that the PFA have been involved in the process since it arose. Clubs don't sack players 'on a whim' as it usually has a financial impact for them (something they hate) so they prefer to 'transfer list' whenever they can

That hasn't happened here and the current shut down of information from any club or official media source is very telling. Neil Harris played a blinder in his press conference the other day and in time the facts will out. In the meantime, we only have rumour and conjecture and I include myself in saying "it's what I was told" albeit from a very trusted source well away from this Forum

Whatever the truth is, it's tragic for the player and his family and disappointing for Cardiff City FC

If just a club issue why not just put him up for sale instead of losing money? More you look at it more you think there is a legal block on news coming out! Cannot remember such an incident occurring and reason not being leaked by a news paper? Getting sacked is extreme especially if player is worth money.

But just much would NML be worth in the present climate? We only got £800k for Neil Etheridge a player valued at £5m+ not so long ago.

I doubt we would attract any kind of transfer fee for him in the present climate.

However, depending on the length of his contract we could save a significant amount of money in wages by getting rid and replacing him with a cheap loan option.

Maybe that is the real reason behind the termination of his contract? He may have transgressed in some way but in normal circumstances the club would have stood by him to protect their investment but now see him going as 'good' business.

Chaps.

Just to clarify what I meant by not done anything that serious was in the sense of an Adam Johnson case scenario or something like that.

Hes obviously done something wrong to have his contract terminated but I took from Harris saying his door would be open for him to be that it's not that 'serious' in the eyes of the law otherwise I'm sure Harris would be distancing himself from him as much as possible.

If just a club issue why not just put him up for sale instead of losing money? More you look at it more you think there is a legal block on news coming out! Cannot remember such an incident occurring and reason not being leaked by a news paper? Getting sacked is extreme especially if player is worth money.

Allan, you're understanding the seriousness of the situation and it's worth noting that the PFA have been involved in the process since it arose. Clubs don't sack players 'on a whim' as it usually has a financial impact for them (something they hate) so they prefer to 'transfer list' whenever they can

That hasn't happened here and the current shut down of information from any club or official media source is very telling. Neil Harris played a blinder in his press conference the other day and in time the facts will out. In the meantime, we only have rumour and conjecture and I include myself in saying "it's what I was told" albeit from a very trusted source well away from this Forum

Whatever the truth is, it's tragic for the player and his family and disappointing for Cardiff City FC

at the moment its all rumours including what ive hinted at.....which like you was based on something i was told yesterday evening from someone .. was something not in my thoughts but fits in with Harris comments, him being sacked { especially in the current financial climate with other cuts happening } and the authorities keeping schtum as if true will open a can of worms..

My take on it would be that the he has failed a drugs test. As he was due to be out until the end of the season, before lockdown. So maybe when he was injured he done some things whether it be PED’s or recreational drugs. Then when the season resumed he’s failed a test. The club have therefore sacked him, as they can’t afford to be paying him during the ban in the current climate. And also that would justify his breach of contract.

Last edited by Bluebird-in-Jackland on Sat Sep 12, 2020 11:22 am, edited 1 time in total.

Chaps.

Just to clarify what I meant by not done anything that serious was in the sense of an Adam Johnson case scenario or something like that.

Hes obviously done something wrong to have his contract terminated but I took from Harris saying his door would be open for him to be that it's not that 'serious' in the eyes of the law otherwise I'm sure Harris would be distancing himself from him as much as possible.

I agree if NML had done something as serious as Adam Johnson no-one would offer to have their 'door open' or to be someone to 'lean on'.

Also the club refer to 'breach of contract' rather than 'gross misconduct' as the reason for termination. Like everyone else I don't know the full details so we will have to wait for more information.

Chaps.

Just to clarify what I meant by not done anything that serious was in the sense of an Adam Johnson case scenario or something like that.

Hes obviously done something wrong to have his contract terminated but I took from Harris saying his door would be open for him to be that it's not that 'serious' in the eyes of the law otherwise I'm sure Harris would be distancing himself from him as much as possible.

I agree if NML had done something as serious as Adam Johnson no-one would offer to have their 'door open' or to be someone to 'lean on'.

Also the club refer to 'breach of contract' rather than 'gross misconduct' as the reason for termination. Like everyone else I don't know the full details so we will have to wait for more information.

yep...breach of contract ....as a reference Richard Keogh was sacked for gross misconduct...?