THE INSIDE STORY ON HOW THE DEAL WAS DONE TO EXTEND MANAGER’S STAY
WHOEVER Cardiff City sign this summer, even if they unearth another Jay Bothroyd, Michael Chopra or David Marshall, nothing will be remotely as important as the bit of business they have done this week.
If the Bluebirds weren’t exactly standing at a crossroads in terms of the club’s future, they certainly would have hurtled in the wrong direction if Neil Warnock had been permitted to walk away as manager.
There was that horrible nagging doubt in the back of one’s mind it might happen – fuelled by Warnock himself, who stated on more than one occasion that if Cardiff’s ambition didn’t match his own, then he saw no point in hanging around at the age of 68. Whether or not Warnock intended that as a public calling of the bluff, Cardiff’s hierarchy knew they couldn’t afford to let him go. Not only would that have caused outcry amongst the fans, it would have indicated a lack of ambition and led to thousands voting with their feet by staying away.
Suddenly the opposite is the case. The supporters are joyous, the club have set their stall out for a Premier League push next season and we are likely to see a return of 20,00025,000-plus crowds.
Managers like Warnock don’t come around that often. Just ask Bluebirds fans who have had to put up with Russell Slade, Paul Trollope and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The Bluebirds Board, of course, have to take the criticism for those flawed appointments. So in return you give credit where credit is due and applaud Vincent Tan, Mehmet Dalman and Ken Choo for crunching the numbers successfully to ensure Warnock stays on board.
That wasn’t as simple as it sounds, because there was the matter of Financial Fair Play rules to overcome, something the Bluebirds have fallen foul of before and can’t afford to again. FFP is a highly complex issue and it formed a large part of the conversation between Dalman and Warnock when they met in London on Monday to thrash out the manager’s future. Cardiff’s chairman didn’t want this matter dragging on and on, with speculation increasing and uncertainty rife. He wanted the stability securing the manager’s future quickly would bring and it is to Cardiff’s credit that it has been done and dusted so soon, enabling Warnock to plan properly for 2017-18. Because Tan controls the purse strings, Dalman had to make various phone calls to Malaysia. But by and large the owner trusted his chairman to do the deal. So what does that involve? Well, there has been give and take on either side. Tan has had his fingers burned splashing the cash in the transfer market, so is understandably wary of releasing the purse strings too much again. But Warnock is fine with that. He wasn’t asking for the ridiculous sums of money some of Cardiff’s Championship rivals have been busy spending. Jonathan Kodija cost Aston Villa £15million when they signed him from Bristol City, Helder Costa went from Benfica to Wolves for £13m, more recently Sheffield Wednesday landed Jordan Rhodes from Middlesbrough for £10m.
There are plenty more examples of exorbitant fees, but Warnock is pragmatic and understanding of Cardiff’s financial situation. He seems happy to use his wheeling and dealing expertise and man-management skills to sign and get the best out of less luxurious players.
By and large, Warnock is comfortable with the squad already at his disposal. But crucially, he feels three or four new faces are needed to bring promotion-chasing quality to the team.
Those type of players will cost money, but Warnock reckons he can turn the Bluebirds into a true Championship force by spending between £5m to £8m on a few, as opposed to £10m for one luxury figure.
So what ares of the team does Warnock wish to improve - and we are talking the starting XI here, not squad members.
Managers like Neil Warnock don’t come around very often Paul Abbandonato
Well, a commanding goalkeeper is a must. Could Warnock make an audacious swoop to bring back fans’ favourite David Marshall on the cheap? He has only played one League game for Hull this year, loved his time in the Welsh capital and may, just may, be tempted by a move south again.
Warnock also wants a speedy, tricky wide man to be his team’s main creative force. With Craig Noone, Kadeem Harris, Junior Hoilett and Anthony Pilkington already on the books, you might think Cardiff have plenty of depth in this area.
But Warnock is said to still feel improvement can be made to give his side a real cutting edge, even though they have smacked 11 goals in three games.
Kenneth Zohore has struck a few of those, but another goal-getting striker is a must in Warnock’s eyes. That is where the bulk of his summer spend will probably go.
A bossy midfielder and possibly a left-back will also be on Warnock’s radar, but by and large he is happy with the defenders at his disposal and the energy supplied by Aron Gunnarsson and Joe Ralls in the centre of the park.
Because of FFP, the new signings can’t just come in. Something will have to give in return and Warnock will need to identify players who can be pruned from the wage bill. There may even be the odd fee involved for one or two, to balance the books even better.
But there are other areas Cardiff can also explore to ensure they don’t end up too heavily in debt and in contravention of FFP. These centre around potential sponsorship packages, as well as extra gate revenue expected to arise as a result of the Warnock factor and a proper push for the Premier League next season.
I’m told Warnock and Dalman crunched the numbers between themselves and quickly came to an agreement on the way forward. There was no gun to the head from Warnock, but equally Cardiff made it clear they would not be shortchanging a manager of his stature if he agreed to stay.
If he needed transfer funds, he would get them.
In the end Warnock was encouraged to do what was best for Neil Warnock. And that meant only one thing – a crack at a record eighth promotion with a club he loves and fans he has a unique rapport with.
He may be in his 69th year, but Warnock retains the enthusiasm of a rookie boss determined to make his way into management.
There are winners everywhere here. Warnock, the Board, the fans, the team and Welsh football.
That is why it is the most important signing Cardiff City could have made.