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Lee Tomlin has got plenty of Cardiff City fans talking at the moment and it’s easy to see why. The 28-year-old brings with him a swagger that Bluebirds fans haven’t seen in a while, and many will feel he can bring the injection of magic needed to help his side mount a promotion challenge.
As well as some decent showings on the pitch during a reasonably successful pre-season, Tomlin has talked a good game ahead of the new campaign, laying out several ambitious personal goals.
“I’d say I try to get 10 goals a season but I also like to try and get 10 to 15 assists. That’s what my aim is,” he said.
Should he be successful, Cardiff are in for a memorable season, and one man will stand to benefit more than any other – Kenneth Zohore.
Encouragingly, Tomlin has already talked up a potential partnership with what will surely be City’s main goal threat this season, adding: “Mostly every striker I’ve played with has got 15 or 20 goals a season, so hopefully Ken can get that this season.”
Performances against Shrewsbury Town and Livingston have hinted that the two could link up well next season, but just how likely is it that the two can forge a successful partnership?
A quick look at Tomlin’s performances alongside strikers at his previous Championship clubs may reveal some answers...
Bristol City When Tomlin arrived from Bournemouth in January 2016, Jonathan Kodjia was the Robins’ main man, netting a solid tally of nine goals. After first playing together during Tomlin’s debut, the pair went on to play another 18 games, with Kodjia bagging a further 10 goals to take his overall total to an impressive 19 league goals for the season.
However, with Tomlin turning in just two assists during that time, it’s difficult to state with any certainty that his influence was the key to Kodjia’s continued good form.
Indeed, Kodjia was just as prolific without Tomlin at Aston Villa last term, scoring 22 goals in all competitions.
However, last season’s link-up with Tammy Abraham is perhaps a little more encouraging for Bluebirds fans.
Tomlin played the number 10 role alongside the Chelsea loanee, who was often preferred as a loan striker for the Reds - a system that could well be utilised by Neil Warnock this season.
Cardiff City end pre-season with crushing win over Livingston to send Bluebird faithful home feeling optimistic ahead of promotion bid
It was a season to remember for Abraham, who netted 23 goals in 41 appearances, well ahead of Tomlin, who was the club’s second highest scorer with six.
Tomlin himself turned in five assists, which while falling short of his target for this campaign, was nevertheless the joint-highest at the club.
Abraham benefited from three of those assists, a crucial stat that points to a very healthy understanding between the two players.
Tomlin also created the highest number of chances, with his tally of 60 placing him comfortably ahead of his team-mates and arguably cementing his role as the team’s creative lynchpin.
When it’s all brought together, the negative reaction from Bristol City fans in the face of his departure becomes easy to understand.
Middlesbrough Tomlin enjoyed a good spell at Boro and is still fondly remembered by plenty of fans at the Riverside, although it arguably took him a little while to get going.
After making his debut in February 2014, Tomlin racked up four goals and one assist in 14 games.
Hardly groundbreaking stats for a man with his reputation, but boss Aitor Karanka was undoubtedly vindicated in his decision to sign Tomlin over the course of the next campaign.
A contribution of 10 assists and seven goals made him a firm fans’ favourite and also earned him the accolade of the Championship’s Player of the Month in January 2015.
Boro’s top scorer that year was Patrick Bamford, who netted 17 league goals in a blistering campaign, and Tomlin was definitely a factor in his success. Four of Bamford’s goals in that campaign were made possible by Tomlin, who used his platform on Teeside to confirm his status as a truly potent creative force in the Championship. As a side note, since that season, Bamford has scored just one league goal.
Peterborough United Tomlin’s time in East Anglia was just as successful.
After helping Posh reach the second tier of English football in 2011, Tomlin was instrumental once again in the season that followed.
His tally of nine assists was second only to George Boyd, although he did also manage to bag himself eight goals in the process.
Emile Sinclair and Paul Taylor shared goalscoring responsibilities that season, and Tomlin helped take both into double figures.
Tomlin was responsible for three of Taylor’s 12 strikes, while also providing one assist for Sinclair’s tally of 10.
Such contributions may sound small, but they may well have proved the difference in Peterborough’s bid to avoid relegation.
Strangely, the following season at London Road was even better for
Tomlin, even though it saw United return to the third tier.
The 2012/13 campaign saw Tomlin notch up 11 assists and 13 goals in all competitions, making it one of the best seasons of his career.
He was the star man for his team in his own right, but he still had time to forge a strong partnership with current Newcastle United striker Dwight Gayle.
The forward played a part in five of Gayle’s 13 goals during that season, handing the striker a goal tally he only managed to surpass during the Magpies’ successful promotion bid last term.
The verdict Tomlin’s aims for the season may well prove ambitious, but he has a proven track record of enhancing any side at Championship level.
His willingness to put pressure on himself by aiming so high is certainly encouraging, and pre-season performances has yielded some definite signs that he could form a strong partnership with Zohore, but there is still work to be done.
Even if Tomlin can just add another five goals to the Dane’s total of 12 from last season, it will make him one of the most feared strikers in the league, and hand Cardiff’s potential promotion charge a significant boost in the process.
Combine that with a contribution of around 10 goals from his own locker, and it’s clear that Tomlin could prove the difference between promotion and mid-table obscurity.