The lessons Erol Bulut learned from first Cardiff City transfer window as exciting summer now looms
The Bluebirds manager returns after his first year managing in the Championship and will be better for the experience
There will be lessons learned from his first summer in British football. While Cardiff experienced two tough transfer windows for different reasons — although they did well considering the circumstances — the manager will want a better hit-rate this summer as the club zero in on quality over quantity.
That is perhaps not so much of a lesson, per se, because Cardiff’s busy summer last year was borne out of necessity after the previous iteration of the Bluebirds’ squad had seen them narrowly avoid relegation. They had to pump quality in, without being able to pay transfer fees, and were extremely creative and proactive in how they did that.
This time around, the feeling is that there is a really good basis of a squad there, at the very least there is a strong core of 15 or so players, and that a few key positions simply need addressing to bolster their chances of a play-off charge. A striker, a winger who can score goals and a commanding midfielder are all on the shopping list. Centre-back is also a consideration, too.
One lesson Cardiff will have to learn centres around their Kieffer Moore chase. The feeling, probably rightly so, was that Moore could have transformed Cardiff’s fortunes last season with a dozen or so goals, which he is more than capable of at this level. Members of the club’s hierarchy, as well as his friends and team-mates, were pushing for a deal to be done. But that did not transpire, nor did it in January.
Another really encouraging learning from last season as a whole is that Bulut will now, City fans hope, have more trust in youth. He threw in the likes of Cian Ashford, Raheem Conte and Luey Giles at the end of last season and they didn’t let him down. It would be a crying shame if any of these youngsters go backwards or stagnate after such a bright end to the campaign for them all.
Returning academy products Isaak Davies, Eli King and Joel Bagan will also come back better players. It’s a pretty hefty squad and Bulut must now find that perfect blend, but it’s a really good headache for him to have. It also affords them scope to allow a few sales to go through — the right ones, of course — and for Cardiff to finally get some return on their investments.
But it is all gearing up for the continuation of the club’s positive momentum thanks to Bulut’s first campaign in charge. If you take a look at the squad in its current guise, striker aside, the club looks really well stocked. Two quality ‘keepers in Ethan Horvath and Jak Alnwick. Conte, Perry Ng and Mahlon Romeo at right-back — although that situation could change — and Jamilu Collins, Bagan and Callum O’Dowda as options on the other flank, not to mention Giles, of course. Centre-back could do with back-up, but Mark McGuinness and Goutas are fine centre-halves at this level.
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