South Wales Echo

NEW BOY LEE SIGNS FOR CITY

WARNOCK DELIGHT AFTER LANDING TOP TARGET TOMLIN

- CHRIS WATHAN Football Correspond­ent chris.wathan@walesonlin­e.co.uk

NEIL Warnock has told new signing Lee Tomlin he’ll make him Cardiff City’s Adel Taarabt – and bring the best out of a player others have struggled to inspire.

Tomlin, 28, has crossed the Severn Bridge from Bristol City in a eye-catching deal, with Warnock revealing he’s captured one of the few players in the Championsh­ip he’d worry about enough to man-mark.

Arriving on an undisclose­d fee – though there have been unconfirme­d suggestion­s it could be as much as £2m – it hands what Warnock believes is the ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ of his summer recruitmen­t.

It is the latest stop for a player with undoubted talent, but who has seen questions over his discipline and diet hang over a career that has taken in spells at Peterborou­gh, Middlesbro­ugh, Bournemout­h and then Bristol.

Although often lauded for his creative ability and potential, there were further suggestion­s of off-the-field problems at Ashton Gate last term, all stories that echo the issues that sur- rounded mercurial midfielder Taarabt when then QPR boss paid £1m to take him from Tottenham in 2010.

Less than 12 months later, Warnock celebrated promotion with the Hoops with Taarabt having scored 19 – often brilliant – goals in 44 appearance­s, rightly winning the Football League’s player of the year award.

It is regularly cited as an example of Warnock’s knack of bringing the best out of players, the 68-year-old himself referring back to his time with the No.10 at Loftus Road as one of the toughest, but most rewarding, manmanagem­ent experience­s of his long career.

Now Warnock sees similariti­es in Tomlin – and is determined to produce similar results having claimed his seventh signing of the summer was the one he had wanted the most.

“He was top of my list at one stage, but I didn’t think we’d be able to get him out of Bristol at the time,” Warnock admitted after the deal was completed yesterday.

“I’ve been looking at a certain area and certain players because we need goals if we’re going to have a shot at this year.

“I was happy with everything apart from somebody to play behind the striker – or strikers – because while we’ve shown we can be a difficult side to play against, you still need someone to unlock the door and get you those three points instead of one. That’s something you need if you want to be pushing up there – and Lee Tomlin gives us that.

“I was in a similar situation with QPR when we brought in Taarabt and Lee reminds me of Adel.

“He’s always a threat when he’s on the ball and you’re never quite sure what he’s going to do, but I’m hoping I can get the best out of him here.

“Obviously, it’s not going to be straightfo­rward with players like Lee, I know that. But I’m looking forward to working with him. I enjoyed my challenge with Taarabt and I’ll enjoy this challenge too.”

Warnock has previously remarked how he was told that Taarabt – who had been on loan at QPR before the Yorkshirem­an signed him permanentl­y – was going to get him the sack, only for the veteran to focus on the Moroccan’s talent that instead got him promotion.

Tomlin isn’t in the same bracket in terms of awkwardnes­s, even if he has previously admitted he’s no angel; a trait Warnock admits is nice to have on your side rather on the opponents’

Neither are there too much similariti­es in the perception­s about fitness or physique.

“When I had Adel, he was criticised being overweight and lazy. Trust me, Tomlin looks like Usain Bolt compared to Adel,” Warnock added.

“But, anyway, players like this aren’t as fit as the like of others, but what they give you is something else. Lee’s creativity is second to none and we want to give him the platform to use that.

“There’s a lot more to come from him. This is the right atmosphere for him to revel in.”

All said with a fair degree of excitement that looks to have concluded Warnock’s summer business. Seventh heaven, it seems, for a manager who was desperate to add to his attacking options and appeared dejected once he had been gazumped by Celtic in his lengthy bid to attract former Aberdeen man Jonny Hayes.

“Jonny Hayes had been top of my list, but he was more of a wide player,” explained Warnock, who also had been eyeing up winger Barrie McKay from Rangers before he joined Nottingham Forest. “But it’s funny how things go: you’ve missed out on a player, you’re disappoint­ed, and out of the blue, the one you really wanted suddenly becomes available. That’s fate for you.

“Lee is more in the area we need, in the middle, creating for the wide players and strikers, and it was so important we could fill this role. Hand on my heart, if I had a choice of any players this summer, Tomlin would be at the top.”

Warnock praised the support of the club hierarchy, including owner Vincent Tan and chief executive Ken Choo, but revealed chairman Mehmet Dalman had been key in turning plans for a loan deal into a permanent addition. With the move needing a “substantia­l” loan payment, but then seeing Bristol back away, Warnock claimed Dalman gave the green light for a push to make it happen.

There is every chance Warnock’s enthusiasm over the Leicester-born set-piece taker won him over.

“Saying he’s not nice to play against is the biggest compliment you can give him,” Warnock said. “When you’re against him, I’m always glad when he’s not got the ball.

I told Aron Gunnarsson when we played them last season that he couldn’t be more than a metre away from him because he can be wonderful on the ball.

There’s not many times – I think three last season – where we’ve said to one of our lads – ‘you mark him and we’ll play ten against ten’ – but Lee was one of them.”

Tomlin will not feature in the game against Taffs Well tonight as the Bluebirds begin their pre-season schedule, but is in contention to play against Bodmin in midweek and is highly likely to figure against Plymouth on Friday, July 21.

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 ??  ?? Neil Warnock celebrates promotion with QPR in 2011 alongside Alejandro Faurlin, left, and Adel Taarabt
Neil Warnock celebrates promotion with QPR in 2011 alongside Alejandro Faurlin, left, and Adel Taarabt
 ??  ?? Lee Tomlin signs on the dotted line, watched by delighted Cardiff manager and chief executive Ken Choo PICTURE: Cardiff City FC
Lee Tomlin signs on the dotted line, watched by delighted Cardiff manager and chief executive Ken Choo PICTURE: Cardiff City FC

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