' Interest in one of Cardiff City's main stars '

Cardiff City must seal agreement for 31-year-old amid previous Watford and also other Championship clubs interest


A number of Championship clubs know that Bennett is a free agent this summer and already Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and Stoke City have made tentative enquires.


Football 24/7


Thursday 22nd April 2021


With the play-offs now mathematically out of reach, Cardiff City can firmly start to plan for the summer transfer window.

That of course means that while some players will likely arrive at the club, others will probably have to move on from the Welsh capital, in order to make room for those new recruits.

One player who it seems Cardiff ought to be trying to keep in the Welsh capital for next season though, is Joe Bennett.

Joe Bennett is out of contract this June and earlier in the season Cardiff City said they were going to offer him a new contract, since then Bennett has had an operation and is not due back in training till September.


As things stand, the left-back is currently set to be out of contract at the end of this season, which could soon pose something of a problem for Cardiff.

Right now, Bennett is the club’s only established natural option in the left full-back role, with back-up for him in that position currently offered by 19-year-old Joel Bagan, who so far has just 14 senior appearances to his name.

Consequentially, it does seem as though Cardiff need to secure a deal for Bennett quickly to retain the certainty of his presence on the left-hand side of their defence, although there is a chance that could soon be easier said than done, judging by events back at the start of the season.

It was reported back at the end of the last summer transfer window, that Watford were taking an interest in a move for Bennett, and while that ultimately did not materialise, it could make sense for the Hornets to try again this time around.

While Adam Masina has been a generally reliable first-choice at left-back this season, Achraf Lazaar has failed to really impress since arriving as his understudy, meaning it may be difficult for the latter to secure a new deal when his short term contract at the club expires this summer.

That could therefore force Watford back into the market for some extra cover for Masina, and given Bennett’s past Premier League experience, not to mention the fact he is set to be available on a free in just a few weeks time, could make him an attractive option to fill that role for the Hornets.

If that does prove to be the case, then it may be important for Cardiff to secure that new deal for Bennett before any potential interest from Vicarage Road re-emerges, something which could make it harder for the Bluebirds to secure a deal for the 31-year-old, given the top-flight football that would now almost certainly be on offer to him if he was to join Watford.

Indeed, securing a new contract for Bennett would also ensure that, were Cardiff to find themselves in a position where they could not avoid losing the left-back this summer, they would at least receive a fee for him, that they could then use to go out and find what would be a much-needed replacement.

Earlier this year, reports had claimed that Cardiff had opened talks with Bennett about a new deal to keep him in the Welsh, although no deal has yet been announced.

A number of Championship clubs know that Bennett is a free agent this summer and already Birmingham, Nottingham Forest and Stoke City have made tentative enquires.

But with focus now starting to slowly turn to the summer transfer and season beyond that, it appears this could be a rather good time for Cardiff to change all that, for a number of reasons.

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Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

OPINIONS?

I agree Joe Bennett has been an excellent player for the club and is a great option at Championship level. As far as Tomlin and Williams are concerned you can add Vassell to that pair and cut our losses on all three.

I agree Joe Bennett has been an excellent player for the club and is a great option at Championship level. As far as Tomlin and Williams are concerned you can add Vassell to that pair and cut our losses on all three.

With you 100%

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

I agree Annis he's been a great player for us, it wasn't a surprise to me when our form dipped it, we missed him, he was perfect for Micks system.

A very underrated player, but Mick knows how important he is and will give him a good offer of another two years i'm convinced of that

I still believe Joe Bennett has a lot to offer CCFC, In Tomlins case, I do not really understand why he has been injured all season as in my humble opinion he offered more than what Wilson has. I think we have far more worrying concerns about our midfield in general but hey ho watching the City has never been easy

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Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

I agree Annis he's been a great player for us, it wasn't a surprise to me when our form dipped it, we missed him, he was perfect for Micks system.

A very underrated player, but Mick knows how important he is and will give him a good offer of another two years i'm convinced of that

Mark,
Many don’t appreciate Bennett, but he has been a big loss to us.

Yes I would be shocked if Mick is not given the go ahead to offer him a new deal.

Bit of a dangerous game negotiating your contract with 6 months to go. You do have the advantage in terms of pitting your current club against potential suitors but difficult if you have a serious injury.

He should have signed then this isn't a discussion.

Just imagine the outrage if we signed 31 year with a serious knee injury

Time to move on

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Joe Bennett is an asset on both the playing and community sides of the club and should stay...

He and his family are also well settled in the area and his preference would be to extend his contract...

As Wales legend and Bluebird supporter Gareth Thomas would say: "Let's make it 'appennnn...!"

Forever Blue » Thu Apr 22, 2021 4:53 pm

Fairblue27 wrote:
I agree Joe Bennett has been an excellent player for the club and is a great option at Championship level. As far as Tomlin and Williams are concerned you can add Vassell to that pair and cut our losses on all three.


With you 100%

You can add me as well. Good players, but never fit.

Always thought Bennett made too many mistakes.. especially in terms of distribution from the back.

It is a difficult one with his age, wages and injury. But I Would definitely give bennet an extension if he's willing to accept a drop in wages. We arnt going to get better than him with the money available and bagan could learn a lot from him before becoming first choice.

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

really do not get the Jonny Williams thing at all...

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

id made my mind up long before that.... Palace perceived with him for years... had 6 or 7 loans without particularly impressing anywhere...he is an attacking midfield player that does not create chances, does not have assists and does not score...

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

id made my mind up long before that.... Palace perceived with him for years... had 6 or 7 loans without particularly impressing anywhere...he is an attacking midfield player that does not create chances, does not have assists and does not score...

Really?
You’ve never mentioned that before!

Seriously though, I think he’d be a decent squad player on low wages and if Mick decides to keep him it’s good enough for me.

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

id made my mind up long before that.... Palace perceived with him for years... had 6 or 7 loans without particularly impressing anywhere...he is an attacking midfield player that does not create chances, does not have assists and does not score...

Really?
You’ve never mentioned that before!

Seriously though, I think he’d be a decent squad player on low wages and if Mick decides to keep him it’s good enough for me.

he is on very low wages ..but is that really good enough reason to extend..
if we do , we do... just dont get what he has done for people to be wanting him extended...

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

I wasn’t one of those who made up their mind. I was happy he signed. I have seen him for Wales and thought he might offer us something. However I can’t see what that is and he is one of those that offers something at international level but might not at club level. As weird as that is.

He has a bit of pace but doesn’t seem to have a knack for a good pass, doesn’t seem to have a good cross and doesn’t seem to score many. Not sure what he offers especially with his fitness record. I’d much prefer Murphy to play or Hoilett as they seem to provide assists or goals when they play.

I base the above on seeing him play for Cardiff. I like him for wales.

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

I wasn’t one of those who made up their mind. I was happy he signed. I have seen him for Wales and thought he might offer us something. However I can’t see what that is and he is one of those that offers something at international level but might not at club level. As weird as that is.

He has a bit of pace but doesn’t seem to have a knack for a good pass, doesn’t seem to have a good cross and doesn’t seem to score many. Not sure what he offers especially with his fitness record. I’d much prefer Murphy to play or Hoilett as they seem to provide assists or goals when they play.

I base the above on seeing him play for Cardiff. I like him for wales.

Absolutely, I agree with you.

He is a bit like Glatzel for me. He has a lot of attributes but the championship is not the best vehicle to demonstrate them. He should go to France or Germany where there is less emphasis on pure physicality for a bit of skill and technique.

International football is more possession-based waiting for a mistake then pounce. It's not that in the championship. You don't have the money to totally outclass teams so teams like us with big physical presence simply legally overpower you.

Good player Bennett, would definitely like to keep him providing he fully recovers from his injury

However, we won’t be able to offer him the same wages he is in at present so I think he might be moving on

I was hoping it was going to about interest in Pack, Vaulks, Ralls and Bacuna

With Wilson and ojo gone and tomlin ... well. Tomlin. I can see williams getting game time next year as he is a natural replacement. He’s keen and as long as he can stay fit he can be an asset to the squad. He won’t attract significant fees and can mix it with the best on his day.

Personally I believe Bennett is worth a two year contract on lower wages as I believe he will be back in the first team come the end of September as he keeps himself fit,reliable and is still a very good player

Lets put it this way, I would not offer 6 months to Lee Tomlin or Jonny Williams.

Completely agree apart from the Williams bit.

Would give him a contract for a year.

Based on what?

The big test for him was to stay fit and to take part in training regularly. He has done that.

It's true that he hasn't played much but he's been in the match squad and not been injured.

Mick will want him to have a full pre-season ready for next season and I'll be very surprised if he doesn't get a year's extension.

Many on here seem to want young players they've never seen play in person have more involvement than a player with experience of Championship football. I don't understand that.

Unfortunately, I think the majority on here made their mind up on Williams the minute he signed for us.

I wasn’t one of those who made up their mind. I was happy he signed. I have seen him for Wales and thought he might offer us something. However I can’t see what that is and he is one of those that offers something at international level but might not at club level. As weird as that is.

He has a bit of pace but doesn’t seem to have a knack for a good pass, doesn’t seem to have a good cross and doesn’t seem to score many. Not sure what he offers especially with his fitness record. I’d much prefer Murphy to play or Hoilett as they seem to provide assists or goals when they play.

I base the above on seeing him play for Cardiff. I like him for wales.

my views were based mostly and initially on him playing for Wales ... i think everyone including me thought he looked a really exciting prospect in his first few outings but the more you watch the more you see it.. or fail to see actually... you can insert your ...he has a bit of pace paragraph here.......looking a bit deeper his career stats do nothing to dispel both what i though when we signed him or your paragraph....flatters to deceive

Good player Bennett, would definitely like to keep him providing he fully recovers from his injury

However, we won’t be able to offer him the same wages he is in at present so I think he might be moving on

He’s already talked to another club and will not be fit until 2022 at least and that’s without complications. Numerous players are going to be looking for clubs from now on.

Good player Bennett, would definitely like to keep him providing he fully recovers from his injury

However, we won’t be able to offer him the same wages he is in at present so I think he might be moving on

He’s already talked to another club and will not be fit until 2022 at least and that’s without complications. Numerous players are going to be looking for clubs from now on.

Where has it been said he’s talked to another club or that 2022 is his return?

You can’t just make stuff up.

Good player Bennett, would definitely like to keep him providing he fully recovers from his injury

However, we won’t be able to offer him the same wages he is in at present so I think he might be moving on

He’s already talked to another club and will not be fit until 2022 at least and that’s without complications. Numerous players are going to be looking for clubs from now on.

Where has it been said he’s talked to another club or that 2022 is his return?

You can’t just make stuff up.

This guy does