Warnock urges squad to stop him spending ‘for sake of it’
NEIL Warnock is convinced there’s more to come from Cardiff City, claiming he’s prepared to shun spending in January if his players can prove it.
And it includes a possible Bluebirds lifeline for forgotten forward Frederic Gounongbe, with the veteran manager hinting he ‘could do a Zohore’.
Cardiff still have hopes of promotion following a storming start to the season, fuelled by Warnock’s summer transfer business that transformed the squad on a limited budget.
Despite being hit by a spate of injuries – including to Danish ace Kenneth Zohore – they remain third, two points off the automatic places, going into tomorrow’s clash with Brentford.
But Warnock believes that he won’t necessarily have to splash the cash to continue to compete, eyeing up the boost of returning players and believing he “will get a few answers” over the potential of his men in the coming weeks.
Ahead of the Bees clash, Warnock said: “If I didn’t sign a player I still think we’d have a good chance of being in them play-offs, with the injured lads back.
“A lot will depend if we lose anybody be it long-term injury or anything, you don’t know what’s around the corner. But we have good lads who want to improve.
“The results between now and January will tell us a lot but I’m very happy with what I’ve got. I wouldn’t swap many in my dressing room for those in other teams.”
“I think we’ll get a few more answers in the next few weeks and it’s only then we’ll make a decision.”
It includes a challenge for Gounongbe who is suddenly back in contention having at one stage looked to have seen his Cardiff career written off.
A difficult start after last summer’s arrival from Belgian side Westerlo was followed by the emergence of the previously frozen out Zohore, leaving the 29-year-old seemingly surplus to requirements and potentially on his way out.
But having made a surprise appearance on the bench for last month’s home win over Ipswich, Warnock has insisted he’s seen flashes from the Benin international that he could yet force his way into the reckoning after shaking off injury and personal problems.
Gounongbe underwent surgery on a major pelvic problem last year and also suffered niggles this summer, but Warnock said: “Fred has looked sharp and done really well so why can’t he do a Zohore? You just don’t know.
“He had a bad injury and it took him a long time to get back, but I’ve watched him work over the last few months and he’s trained really hard.
“He’s been very frustrated and had a lot of family problems which none of us want to hear about, but he’s overcome all that and done really well – and with the situation with Ken injured and (Omar) Bogle suspended he’ll come into the reckoning.”
Warnock had said in the summer he was willing to give the physical frontman a chance, and has now said he had been tipped off over his potential upon arriving in South Wales.
Hailing his aerial ability, the Yorkshireman added: “It’s been a first proper chance to see him, but I liked him when I first came. The scout who gave me Loic Damour said to me when I first came I’d really like Gonoungbe, that he’d watched him over the last couple of the years and he would be just my cup of tea.
“Unfortunately he’s had a couple of injuries after another and never really got a chance and then Ken set the world alight.
“He’s probably the best at holding the ball up that we’ve got and he’s definitely the best header of the ball of the strikers.
“We put a session on yesterday and I mentioned it to fans at a function last night he was like Nat Lofthouse! He was really good finishing with his heading, knew what he was doing behind the centre-halves and I was really pleased for him.
“He’s seen what Ken did with his chance and he’s a really good lad. If he can just have a few months injury free it will be interesting to see what he does because he is a big problem for centre-halves. You just don’t know.”
Warnock is keeping a smilarly open mind about young striker Rhys Healey after tipping the lively forward to be back in contention by Chsritmas following knee ligament damage.
Cardiff could yet send the 22-yearold out on loan, though Warnock claimed that the former Connah’s Quay striker – who signed a new contract last month – has “got something different that we haven’t got in our squad”, adding: “He might be another player that, instead of buying one, I already have one here.”
Warnock insisted the club are still working on potential January targets, saying they are still keen to improve and boost those promotion hopes while accepting there would be a willingness to sell to buy if the deal was right.
“It could be that we lose a couple to bring one or two in, player swaps or things like that, but I don’t spend money for the sake of it,” he said. “We are looking, looking at positions we might improve, because you always have to be on step ahead.”