BLUEBIRDS ‘IN DIALOGUE’ WITH FOREST OVER WINGER REMAINING AT CLUB BOSS IN A BLAST AT EFL OVER ADOMAH’S LOAN STAY
NEIL Harris has criticised the EFL over a lack of leadership regarding the extension of player loans as he revealed Cardiff City have hit an impasse with Nottingham Forest over agreeing a contract extension for Albert Adomah.
The Ghanaian winger joined the Bluebirds on deadline day back in January and has featured in every league game since under Harris.
He has been a consistent performer for City and has earned widespread acclaim from the club’s supporters since moving to the Welsh capital.
However, when football stopped because of the outbreak of coronavirus, it threw a whole manner of things into disarray, not least players’ contracts.
Loan deals typically end on June 30, however clubs have been left to their own devices to sort out individual extensions, with the Championship play-off final now penned in for August 4.
Bournemouth last week announced that Brad Smith would stay with the Bluebirds until the end of the campaign, while Harris is confident Wolves loanee Dion Sanderson will also be staying.
When it comes to Adomah, though, the Bluebirds boss is less certain of what the immediate future holds.
“As far as I know, Dion has pretty much agreed (to stay on until the end of the season),” Harris said after Cardiff’s 3-1 win over Preston. “Wolves are OK there. “Forest is a different matter. Forest is not straightforward. We are in dialogue with Forest at the moment.
“The bottom line with Albert is I want him to stay. I’ve picked him for every game he has been at the club for.
“Albert wants to stay and finish the season here, so we have to keep working with Forest to try to make it happen.”
Adomah has put in two solid performances since the season restarted last weekend and has been a welcome addition to the Bluebirds’ ranks this season.
His signing has coincided with Cardiff’s charge up the table and the win over Preston moved City into the play-off spots with just seven games to go.
Another team vying for play-off spots, of course, is Forest, Adomah’s parent club.
And while Harris was coy over whether Forest’s delaying tactics were down to them being play-off rivals, he believes it shouldn’t have come down to this in the first place, stating the EFL should have been more proactive in how they dealt with these kinds of disputes before the restart.
“Possibly,” Harris said when asked about whether this ordeal might have come about because Forest are also battling for a top-six spot.
“That will be down for Forest to answer at the moment.
“I think the EFL have to take a long, hard look at themselves as well.
“It might end up with clubs in dispute when the EFL should have taken leadership and ownership of this and made loans compulsory to be finished.
“So, my gripe at the moment is with the EFL in particular.”
As things stand, it means tomorrow’s Championship clash against Charlton Athletic may be the last time fans see Adomah in a Cardiff shirt.