Thu Jul 08, 2021 9:23 am
Although Cardiff City have wrapped up some early transfer deals, there is still much work to be done to this squad before we can consider a promotion push this season.
By Glen Williams
Thursday 8th July 2021
The arrivals of James Collins, Mark McGuinness and Ryan Wintle are all very much welcomed, but given the quality which has been lost many supporters will hope there is more to come from the Bluebirds.
At the moment this squad is a lot less as strong as last season.
Collins, on paper at least, looks like a shrewd signing. Someone who has goals in the bank at this level and a player to ease the relentless burden on the Bluebirds' sole target man Kieffer Moore.
McGuinness remains something of an unknown quantity. He enjoyed a decent spell at Ipswich last season, but didn't really set the world alight. At 20, though, he remains a promising prospect and a player who will provide ample backup to the established trio of Aden Flint, Sean Morrison and Curtis Nelson.
Wintle could be the pick of the bunch, if what people at Crewe are saying about him is to be believed.
He will run all day, gets stuck in, has a lovely passing range and can bang in the odd goal or two as well. It'll be interesting to see how he gets on next term.
But there's more to do. Most notably, there are two areas of the squad which need bolstering before the August 31 transfer deadline.
Having lost the experience and talent of Joe Bennett at left-back, Cardiff desperately need to add there. While there are high hopes for Joel Bagan, he is still just 19 and it is unrealistic to expect him to churn out a full Championship season, having only had a flavour of it so far in his fledgling career.
Ciaron Brown and Joe Ralls are considered options there, but you wouldn't want to go through large spells of the season with those two filling in at wing-back.
Ryan Giles at Wolves is a move that simply won't go away. The young Wolves winger spent last season out on loan, first at Rotherham and then at Coventry City, and has attracted the attention of McCarthy.
The 21-year-old is versatile and can play anywhere on that left flank, however wing-back would appear to suit him down to the ground. Talk of a move for Giles emerged after City's attempt to snare Adam Reach from Sheffield Wednesday broke down.
Secondly, there is the dearth of creativity. A gaping hole within this current setup as even the five central midfielders in situ are all considered sitting, defensive midfielders, rather than players who can break the lines and unlock defences.
Losing Harry Wilson and not replacing him clearly dramatically weakens this City squad. Jonny Williams' surprise exit has also lessened the options in there.
However, having Lee Tomlin back and fully fit will feel like a new signing. If Cardiff can get him anywhere near to his 2019/20 fitness and performance levels, it is hoped he can still have a big impact this season.
Rubin Colwill remains an unknown quantity, really. He showed signs of true promise last term, but as expected with any kid stepping up to the Championship, he was raw and needed to smooth out the rough edges.
Both Colwill and Tomlin are good options at this level - and let's hope the Leandro Bacuna experiment in that position is cast aside - but City need another creative spark in there somewhere.
It is understood Cardiff are looking at options in that No.10 role, with Wilson even thought to be on the radar again. A move for the Welshman always appears unlikely, though, with a number of clubs both at Championship and Premier League level expected to be keen on him, too.
So we should still expect to see a few more incomings of new players.