Missing Marko? New Bluebirds duo provide an impressive response
TRANSFER deadline-day signings Harry Arter and Victor Camarasa both made encouraging starts to life as Cardiff City players having impressed on their debuts in the 0-0 draw with Newcastle United.
The pair impressed in the centre of the park alongside Joe Ralls as the Bluebirds collected their first point of the 2018/19 Premier League season against the Magpies.
And their efforts had fans and journalists alike talking about another player.
Marko Grujic. Or should that be Marko who? Neil Warnock made no secret of his desire to bring the Serbia international back to South Wales on loan for the season following his successful stint with the Bluebirds last term.
But ahead of the Premier League opener at Bournemouth, the Yorkshireman conceded defeat in his pursuit of the Liverpool man.
And it has since been announced that Grujic has joined Bundesliga outfit Hertha Berlin on a season-long loan deal after signing fresh terms with Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The Reds are evidently complimentary towards the Bluebirds when discussing Grujic’s loan spell in the Welsh capital earlier this year.
But it really does beg the question, why wasn’t he sent back to Cardiff?
Whatever the answer, it’s irrelevant now.
Warnock looked elsewhere and secured the loan services of Arter and Camarasa from Bournemouth and Real Betis respectively in the dying embers of the summer transfer window.
So did Cardiff actually miss a trick or dodge a bullet when it comes to Grujic? Let’s look at the numbers.
The midfielder played 14 times for the Bluebirds, scoring one goal, while Cardiff won nine of the 13 Championship games Grujic featured in.
Arter and Camarasa meanwhile - particularly the former - didn’t get as much game time as they’d have liked during the 2017/18 season.
Republic of Ireland international Arter did not play a single minute for Bournemouth following the Cherries’ shock 3-0 FA Cup defeat to Wigan in January.
And Camarasa made only 24 appearances in La Liga for Real Betis last term, with just 14 of those being starts.
So it’s clear that all three players share a common denominatior. They’ve each got a point to prove. Arter’s vision and quick-thinking were evident against Newcastle while his combative style and no-nonsense tackling was akin to what Craig Bryson and Aron Gunnarsson offered at their best.
As for Camarasa, his skill on the ball was at times majestic and – like Arter – he’s a tireless runner, something that suits a Warnock side down to the ground.
And, while Grujic really impressed when shielding Cardiff’s back four in a 4-3-3 system on occasions last term, you have to feel that Arter offers more as an all-rounder than the Serbian while Camarasa can be allowed to do more damage higher up the pitch.
So where do the trio stand?
Arter has seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements by Eddie Howe, Real Betis heavily strengthened their midfield options in the summer, while Grujic has the daunting task of dislodging the likes of Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Naby Keita on Merseyside.
But Arter and Camarasa both have a major plus point in their favour.
They have significantly more top-level experience than Grujic.
The Serbian has only had a handful of Premier League minutes here and there with Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Arter has three years of experience at the top level with Bournemouth and Camarasa has the knowledge from several La Liga campaigns in his armoury.
And in a squad that is severely lacking top-level experience, you can’t help but feel that Camarasa and Arter could well prove to be the two best signings Warnock made ahead of the Bluebirds’ Premier League return.
Certainly, on the evidence of their debuts against Newcastle United, the manager will be sleeping just fine at night.