PATO’S ‘CLOSE’ TO OWLS SWITCH – HARRIS
CALLUM Paterson’s permanent move from Cardiff City to Sheffield Wednesday is ‘close’, Bluebirds boss Neil Harris has confirmed. The Scot was omitted from the City match-day squad on Saturday afternoon as the Welsh club fell to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of top-of-the-table Reading.
Paterson, a utility player who has occupied a number of positions during his three years at Cardiff, has slipped down the pecking order in recent months, with the addition of Kieffer Moore likely proving another sizeable barrier to the player getting more game time.
And, as such, it looks as though Garry Monk has offered him more regular action up at Hillsborough, with a permanent move to Yorkshire seemingly imminent.
“I’ve been told today that a deal is close to being agreed between Sheffield Wednesday and Cardiff,” Harris said of Paterson’s move after the Reading loss.
“If he is (leaving) then we wish Pato all the best. If not then I look forward to seeing him on Monday.”
He added: “I left Callum out of the squad today because I was informed that there might be an agreement between he clubs likely to happen.
“I am the manager of the football club and support the club in the decisions they make.
“It’s not about me as an individual it’s about me having options within the squad. Callum is one of our attacking players and we need to have strength in depth during the course of the season.
“I’ve talked about adding in that area of the pitch already and if Callum is moving on then we need to add to it.”
Harris has spoken a lot in recent weeks about wanting to add another attacking player before the transfer window closes.
And with Paterson likely heading for the exit door, Harris has once again stated that a replacement will have to be found in the coming days and weeks.
He said he “hopes” Paterson’s departure frees up some funds to bring in a player of quality, but is also wary that the club has to be financially stable in these uncertain times.
“We’ve got targets, people in particular I’d like to bring into the football club,” he said.
“It’s difficult times at the moment, trying to balance books and making sure the manager has enough players at his disposal and I understand that fully, I’ve been doing the job long enough now.
“I believe we need more options. Would it have changed the result today? No. Defending better and being better with the transition of the ball would have helped to change the result.
“Moving forward, yes, I think we need to add to our group.”
Anthony Knockaert is one player who has been linked with the Bluebirds in recent days, with Sky Sports having reported that Cardiff had made contact with Fulham over a potential deal.
WalesOnline revealed, however, that this was not in fact the case and Harris sought to set the record straight on Saturday evening.
“Anthony Knockaert has proven himself to be a top player at this level,” the Bluebirds boss said.
“Has there been any contact from me or the club? No. I saw it on Sky Sports so I would suggest that’s probably been agent-led.”