Striker light... but it’ll be big test for Cardiff boss to bag the perfect recruit The fan’s view
THE new Premier League season is nearly upon us, and the bookies have already started to speculate on which Premier League manager will be the first to leave their post, writes Tom Coleman
Before Antonio Conte’s departure at Chelsea last week, 15 top flight managers moved on last season, and there will surely be movement again this campaign too.
However, the bookies appear reasonably confident in Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock, who despite being in the hot seat of a newly-promoted side is priced at 16/1 to leave his post in the Welsh capital first.
The Yorkshireman is seen as more likely to stay in his job than several other names, with Watford’s Javi Gracia the firm favourite to go first at odds of 4/1, according to OddsMonkey.
Gracia arrived at Vicarage Road midway through the last campaign, replacing Marco Silva at the helm to become the club’s 13th boss in 10 years, and is not expected to be kept as a longterm option in Hertfordshire.
Mark Hughes is next at 4/1 despite only signing a permanent deal with Southampton earlier in the summer, while Leicester’s Claude Puel and Rafa Benitez of Newcastle are rated at 7/1 and 9/1 respectively.
Meanwhile, the man rated the safest in his job a present is Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who’s ranked at 50/1.
“We are not even in August and already the public are baying for blood,” said OddsMonkey spokesman Pete Watton.
“But last season we saw he first casualty Frank de Boer just a month into the season, and we saw nearly half the Premier League jobs come up for grabs.
“Javi Gracia has been in charge for less than 12-months but already people believe that he won’t be given too much of a chance during this off-season.
“Of the others, it is no surprise to see Hughes, Puel and Benitez in the mix as they all led the Sack Race at different times last season, and the fact Hughes is now at Southampton rather than Stoke, does not convince anyone that he will have any extra longevity.” ONE of Neil Warnock’s charms is that he makes things seem very straightforward.
When he took over at Cardiff City, it looked like he may have bitten off more than he could chew, but a little common sense and the force of his personality saw him make a molehill out of a mountain.
Warnock’s approach to the transfer market is similarly uncomplicated. Round pegs for round holes. He has been linked with a few overseas targets this summer, but none of them felt like Warnock signings. He trusts his instincts and sticks to what he knows. A safety first approach maybe, but probably exactly what Cardiff need right now.
The spectre of Andreas Cornelius still looms large over the club and as much credit as Warnock must have in the bank, I wouldn’t fancy his chances of convincing Vincent Tan to part with significant money for a speculative European import. Warnock’s signings to date have been both logical and rational. Josh Murphy, Greg Cunningham, Bobby Reid and Alex Smithies are upper echelon Championship players ready to make the step up to the top flight. A central midfielder is required and it looks likely that another familiar face, Marko Grujic, will return on loan from Liverpool to fill that void.
That leaves one vacancy still to be filled, but it may be the most important of them all.
Cardiff are very fortunate to have a player of Kenneth Zohore’s calibre to call upon. The whole team is built around him and he spearheads the attack alone. They may have secured promotion without a prolific return from Zohore, but it is unlikely that they can earn Premier League safety without a healthy return from him. Untested at that level, we do not yet know whether or not Zohore can cut the mustard at the highest level. What we can say is that he cannot do it alone. A striker that can deputise for him, without necessitating a complete tactical reshuffle, is an absolute necessity and the final piece of the jigsaw. So ironically, Cardiff are once again looking for a striker in the Cornelius mould, ahead of a top flight campaign. As was the case then, players of this ilk do not grow on trees and if Cardiff are already choosing to fish in shallow waters, I’m sure they have found that there is practically a drought where big, powerful forwards are concerned.
Most, if not all of the available options come with strings attached. Abel Hernandez, who recently left Hull and is currently a free agent looks tailor made for the task, but is reportedly looking for a 60% increase on the £40,000-a-week he has been receiving. Oumar Niasse looks a likely loan target, but has hardly lived up to his £13.5m transfer fee and has been accused of causing a rift in the Everton dressing room.