CARDIFF CITY SEASON PREDICTIONS AND FOUR 'KEY' PLAYERS

Cardiff City season predictions: The colossus who holds the key, the surprise package, Mr Reliable and the breakout star
The new season beckons and here are the players who could have a big part to play in the Bluebirds' fortunes this term
By Glen Williams


The new Championship season is almost upon us and, with it, comes renewed optimism for Cardiff City fans.

The Bluebirds fell agonisingly short of a play-off final last term after a brilliant end to the campaign, which saw them jump from ninth to fifth following lockdown.

It is that momentum City fans will be desperate to see continue as the new season begins at home to Sheffield Wednesday this weekend.


But do Cardiff City have the arsenal to go one further this time?

Unlike last season, the transfer window will extend a few weeks into the campaign, meaning there could well be more ins and outs and twists and turns before it shuts on October 16.

Neil Harris has acted swiftly in the transfer window, recruiting Jordi Osei-Tutu and Sheyi Ojo on loan after signing Wales international Kieffer Moore on a permanent deal from Wigan.


The club rocked its fanbase then on Wednesday afternoon when they announced Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's contract had been terminated.

Whether they will add to compensate for Mendez-Laing's loss remains to be seen, but City's squad, on paper at least, still looks strong and is more than capable of challenging at the top end of the table this term.


Who, though, will be Cardiff's top performers this year?

We look at four players tipped for big seasons in blue...


The key man

I'm reticent to heap too much praise and expectation on a man whose reputation has grown incredibly over the last 12 months, but Kieffer Moore really does feel like an excellent signing.

And, unfortunately for him, expectation comes with the territory when you sign as a striker for a club as big and passionately followed as Cardiff City.

The one thing in his favour, of course, is that he does not have a tough act to follow.

Cardiff have been looking for a consistent, goalscoring striker for 10 years and there doesn't seem to have been this much positivity surrounding a striker moving to the Welsh capital for some time.

That is undoubtedly helped by his performances for the national team. He has become a key component to Wales' forward line under Ryan Giggs and, as such, he has endeared himself to thousands of fans in this corner of the world.

But now Bluebirds fans want that form to transfer to the domestic scene with Cardiff City and one can't help but feel that Moore's success will likely go hand-in-hand with Cardiff's fortunes this term.

Last season, no Cardiff City player reached double figures in terms of goals scored in all competitions.

Lee Tomlin was City's top scorer with nine, while Josh Murphy, Robert Glatzel and Danny Ward all registered eight with a further three players — Callum Paterson, Junior Hoilett and Joe Ralls — each finding the net seven times.

Now there is more than one way to skin a cat, of course, but having a consistent goalscorer leading the line week in, week out is a huge advantage.

The dearth of consistency in front of goal last term also led to Harris, and before that Neil Warnock, having to tinker with his side in order to strike the right attacking balance to ensure there was enough of a threat from all over the park.

If Moore, a bona fide colossus who can be bruising in the air and deadly with his feet, gets off to a strong start it might well hold the key to Cardiff's success.

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The surprise package

There are a couple of contenders for this, but my eye continues to be drawn to Sheyi Ojo, the Liverpool youngster who Cardiff have brought in on a season-long loan.

For Ojo, it feels like a now-or-never time for him to impress. He is 23 and has been sent out on loan by Liverpool six times since 2014, taking in spells in France, Scotland and the Championship.

There were signs during his most recent loan at Rangers last season that things were just starting to click.

The lightning fast, left-footed winger, who likes to cut in from the right-hand side and drive at goal, scored five times in all competitions and produced the same number of assists and it is those figures which will have drawn Harris to him.

On the left, Cardiff have the luxury of choosing one of Junior Hoilett and Josh Murphy, both of whom can be swashbuckling on their day.

On the other flank, though, is where Harris identified they needed reinforcements.

It is thought Gavin Whyte, while a supremely-hard worker who adds a lot in terms of defensive solidity and industry, does not have the quality in the final third just yet to be trusted as a regular starter.

And with Mendez-Laing, a dangerous wide man who played so well when he was fit enough last season, out of the picture, it paves the way for another to shine.

So Ojo, then, looks like he will be given his fair share of game time and Jurgen Klopp, like Cardiff fans, will be watching carefully.

It was thought that while at Rangers, his best was unplayable, but his worst was knuckle-bitingly frustrating. It is the consistency in between which needs much work, so I am led to believe.

But that is exactly why it makes him an exciting surprise package.

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The Mr Reliable

I could easily have plumped for Sean Morrison here. For my money, the centre back was on par with Lee Tomlin as the Bluebirds' best outfield player last term.

Joe Ralls, too, when he is back from injury, is another player who City fans can expect at least a 7/10 from every game.

But the man I am backing to have a consistently excellent season is Will Vaulks.

We saw glimpses of it last term, particularly in that period after New Year's and before lockdown, when something just clicked and suddenly he came good.

He was cast aside by Neil Warnock at the start of the campaign after Reading's George Puscas ran riot in the chastening 3-0 defeat at the Madejski Stadium and the Wales international considered leaving on loan.

But the 26-year-old will likely have a really important role to play this season in the heart of midfield, especially as things currently stand.

Should City fail to sign a No.10 in this window, Harris will likely slot Vaulks into a midfield three, where he can add so much at both ends of the pitch.

He is a tough tackler but also able to score incredible goals (see QPR and Blackburn in recent months). It is easy to see why fans at his former clubs rave about him.

He wants to further his international ambitions with Wales, too, and that will no doubt be a burning factor driving him on to succeed in the Welsh capital.

I'm tipping him for big things this season and expect him to be a crucial cog in the middle of the pitch.

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The breakout star

The more I see of Tom Sang, the more impressed I become.

Mark Harris has had a decent pre-season, while the club hold high hopes for Joel Bagan, Tavio d'Almeida and Kieron Evans, too.

But it is Sang who seems to have been given the nod of approval from the manager and it's fair to say, thus far, he has taken it.


In the pre-season matches he was very good playing out on the right-hand side, but following the addition of Ojo, it is likely through the middle where he will be asked to play this term.

Against Northampton, during an abject team performance, he looked like a real bright spark, playing in the hole behind Robert Glatzel, firing shots off, running at defenders and whipping dangerous balls in from the byline.

Again, if City fail to sign a playmaker, I believe Harris would have no qualms in throwing the Manchester United youth product in at No.10 and give him licence to attack.

The 20-year-old is silky with the ball at his feet and unfazed when a shot veers wide, a dribble goes awry or an attack is stymied.

If Tomlin is unable to maintain his fitness levels then we might just see Harris throw Sang in to see how he does.

The manager has not ruled out loan moves away for Sang and young striker Harris, but that will likely be determined by the incomings in the remaining month of the transfer window.

If Sang stays, expect to see a lot more of him on the pitch and expect him to do some very good things.

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I've seen Tom Sang play a couple of time now and I have to say he looks like he could take the step up to the first team with comfort under the tutelage of Neil Harris, his coaches and his team mates

Give it a while and we could be singing "Shall we sing a Sang for you...?"