One in... one out?

Cardiff seal striker deal, while Swans accept McBurnie bid

CARDIFF City have found themselves a striker at last after completing a deal for Robert Glatzel (pictured right).

The 25-year-old has joined the Bluebirds on a three-year deal from German outfit Heidenheim for a fee understood to be in the region of £5.5m.

But just what will the new man up top offer? And how will he fit in to Neil Warnock’s plans?

We spoke to German football expert and journalist Chris Williams to get the inside track on what Cardiff fans can expect from their new frontman.

What are his key strengths and weaknesses?

His main strength is his ability with the ball in front of him, expect him to drive at defences and create lots of problems.

He can finish with precision from outside the area, draw a foul from the opponent to create a dangerous set-piece or just put his head down and stride towards the six-yard box.

He’s also a threat in the air, with a good ability to find the deftest of touches to flick the ball past the goalkeeper.

His only real weakness is his holdup play, however – if the tactic doesn’t require the centre-forward to hold the play up for wide overlapping runs it won’t be a problem.

Cardiff have obviously looked at his strengths and thought he can fit into their playing style.

What sort of personality is he?

He’s the type of player who you can rely on, one that isn’t afraid of a challenge and, as he’s proven in Germany, setbacks are merely a hurdle to be stepped over.

When he left 1860 Munich he had to step down a level, he immediately proved the decision was a wrong one to let him go and he’s built himself back up into a stronger, more refined and wonderful finisher.

What’s the view on the move in Germany?

His move to Cardiff is seen as a natural progression for him, he was linked to a few Bundesliga sides after his wonder showing in the Allianz Area against Bayern Munich.

Both Werder Bremen and VfB Stuttgart were said to be interested in him during the latter part of 2018-19 — his hat-trick at Bayern put him in an elite list of players as only the third player to notch three goals at Bayern’s home ground this century.

Do they see it as a good move?

Obviously, it’s always sad to see a good striker leave the leagues for foreign soil, but the chance to move to a club who have genuine ambitions of a return to the Premier League is not one to be sniffed at.

FC Heidenheim are a club on the brink of promotion to the top league for some time, but they’ve always slipped at the last, missing out on promotion automatically and via the relegation play-off.

Should he prove to be a hit in the Championship and help Cardiff return then it will be viewed as the best move he could have made.

What can Cardiff expect from him?

Goals if he has anything like the season he did last time out.

He’s someone who won’t shirk his responsibilities and he’s honest – he will speak his mind but he’ll do it respectfully.

How will he fit in to Neil Warnock’s team?

Warnock said they had been chasing him for five weeks, so they certainly know who they wanted in order to sustain a challenge to top the Championship, and the Cardiff scouts will have seen his abilities at Heidenheim.

He’s used to a side who can play good football but also be direct if they need to be. He should be suited to life in Wales – it could well be the opportunity he needed to showcase his talent at a club who are gunning for promotion.