Why Jazz is ready to hit right note and step it up for Cardiff

ARON Gunnarsson has insisted he is not looking to quit Cardiff City – and is ready to discuss a new Bluebirds deal.

The Iceland star was one of the success stories of last season under manager Neil Warnock with his form seeing him pick up the club’s player of the year prizes.

And it has seen him linked with moves abroad this summer, with Israeli giants Maccabi Tel Aviv reportedly prepared to offer him a big wage bump to link up with Jordi Cruyff’s side, while Polish champions Legia Warsaw are also said to have a firm interest in 28-year-old.

Cardiff are not thought to be considering selling Gunnarsson, who has one year left on his current contract, with Bluebirds boss Warnock having praised the performances of a player he calls his ‘Viking warrior.’

And now the long-term representative of the Euro 2016 hero has denied there have been talks with foreign clubs about potential deals – and that Gunnarsson remains happy in South Wales.

Agent Jerry de Koning told WalesOnline that there had been no discussions with the clubs mentioned about Gunnarsson and that the midfielder was looking forward to the new season, adding: “He is very happy at the club.”

However, he admitted there have yet to be any talks about a new contract at Cardiff.

Gunnarsson, who is currently on honeymoon following his recent wedding in Reykjavik, joined the Bluebirds on a Bosman from Coventry six years ago; the departure of Peter Whittingham this summer making him the club’s longest serving player.

He penned his last contract in June 2015 that ties him to Cardiff City Stadium until next summer. Cardiff have already begun talks with Sol Bamba, who also has 12 months left on his deal, while agreeing an extension for Lee Peltier.

And Gunnarsson would be open to starting similar talks when he returns to South Wales ahead of pre-season, with de Koning saying: “We will see what happens with it.

“No-one has spoken about it yet, but it is early and people are on holiday.”

Gunnarsson has made close to 250 appearances for Cardiff, scoring twice last season with Warnock admitting he was hoping to see the 70-cap international have a more advanced role next term as the club seek a push towards the play-offs. JAZZ Richards is a player coming into his own.

Two years ago, he was being loaned out by Swansea City, now he wants to be a permanent fixture in the Wales first team. He wants promotion with Cardiff City.

It hasn’t been a straightforward transition, however. Nothing has come quickly nor easily for Richards; injuries hampered his progress, but the 26-year-old is stepping out of the shadows to fly the Welsh flag, both for the Bluebirds and his country.

Even 12 months ago, Richards was forced to negotiate a major obstacle upon moving to the Welsh capital club.

His Swansea past couldn’t be ignored and a storm brewed around the talented full-back when impassioned Cardiff fans implored him to do the ‘Ayatollah’ in an August clash with Birmingham City. Sceptical supporters saw it as an initiation for the Swansea lad. And yet, a year down the line, Richards prepares for his second season at Cardiff City Stadium with the matter virtually forgotten, consigned to the history books because of the full back’s consistency last term.

“The whole thing about moving from Swansea to Cardiff was easy for me,” insists Richards when the inevitable subject is broached.

“I was never one of those players who was disrespectful towards Cardiff, or supported Swansea over Cardiff. I just played the game and got on with it. It was easy for me to deal with.

“The response from Cardiff fans was great, all positive comments. I think being involved with Wales helped. There was obviously the gesture of doing the Ayatollah but that all blew over fairly quick and they know I’m here to play for them. They were very positive with me after that.”

Involvement with Wales’ Euro 2016 squad definitely helped.

Although Richards featured just once (against Slovakia) in the dream run to Euro semi-finals, he and Emyr Huws were brought to Cardiff as beacons of Welsh hope, at a club which was increasingly losing any flavour of the ‘homegrown.’

Of course, the ‘Wales Way’ didn’t work for the Bluebirds and Paul Trollope. But it is testament to Richards’ determination and durability that he overcame an early managerial change – plus the Swansea connection and a major training injury – to thrive for Cardiff in the second-half of the season. Some of Trollope’s other signings; Huws, Rickie Lambert, Lex Immers and Frederic Gounongbe, failed to adapt.

The reason? Richards is in his prime and was desperate to prove his doubters wrong. He knew he would make a success of his Cardiff move.

“Neil (Warnock) wanted me to come back as fit as possible to play in the team,” he says.

“I had to go through eight weeks of injury and fight my way back.

“The end of last season was very positive. I’d say it was a good season, but I’m hoping for better.”

Richards strung together some imperious displays at right-back from January onwards, making the most of Lee Peltier’s injury to earn a first-team berth. With Joe Bennett marauding down the left, the pair brought a new dimension to the Bluebirds’ attacking play under Warnock.

It was those performances, that remarkable return from injury, which earned a precious call-up to Chris Coleman’s first team against Serbia.

The Wales boss doesn’t often make changes, but Neil Taylor’s suspension forced his hand.

Wales needed a reliable option at wing-back to step into a hostile Belgrade atmosphere. They needed someone to help eke out a result away from home to keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive. Enter Richards.

“I thrive off (hostile atmospheres), where the fans are loud and on your