Should Bluebirds be trying to sign a maverick like Jack Wilshere?
BLUEBIRDS COLUMNIST SCOTT JOHNSON
AS the transfer window wound down, for Premier League clubs at least, things fell rather quiet at Cardiff, so my mind wandered and I instead started to recall past transfer windows. Past deals in and out of the club, playing fantasy football with the current squad in my head.
I think the problem is that there is very little fantasy when it comes to this current crop of players.
That is a sign of the times to some extent, but that does not appear to be the case everywhere and there were a few deals that made me ponder the past, present and future.
In reverse order, Tottenham’s interest in Joe Rodon inevitably drew enviable glances from the Cardiff side of the fence.
A class act, he will likely go for north of £15m in the near future, as the top flight turn their attention to the second tier. Another product of their academy, he will make the club yet more healthy profit. Not only do Cardiff not have any academy graduates in their side, it is doubtful that they have any players that would cost even £5m in the current market. Even the ones that cost more than £5m to begin with.
When Neil Etheridge and Callum Paterson leave for such relatively paltry sums, it acts as a reminder of how other teams view Cardiff’s constituent parts.
There was once a time when it was Cardiff that were the ones making smart signings and turning a huge profit. Michael Chopra, Roger Johnson, Cameron Jerome and Jordon Mutch all immediately spring to mind.
There is excitement and pride in seeing players progress to the extent that they attract interest and substantial offers from further up the ladder.
Cardiff have done well in recouping money from their Premier League signings, but it is a while since they unearthed or produced any up-andcoming diamonds in the rough.
The other player that briefly caused a ripple among supporters was Jota, who had his contract cancelled by free-spending Aston Villa.
Here was a potentially golden opportunity to sign a playmaker that could have an immediate impact for free. A player well versed in the Championship, having thrived at Brentford, before sealing a big move to Birmingham and then joining their arch rivals Villa.
He can play cutting in from the right or behind the striker, two problem positions for Cardiff. The only catch was his salary. Cardiff would have to make him one of the highest earners, but having trimmed so many from the squad in recent months, surely there is a little wriggle room for such opportunities?
We will never know, as he instead returned to Spain, where ironically he will replace Victor Camarasa, who has returned to his parent club Real Betis after a loan spell, at Alaves. The irony is that Cardiff have yet to replace Camarasa themselves.
Jota’s availability created a brief buzz, but it was undercut by the reality of the current situation. Despite selling the idea of another promotion push, Cardiff seem unwilling or unable to fund one.
Anthony Knockaert, another rare, seemingly tailor-made attacker, will likely return to the Championship in the next few days, but it seems doubtful that Cardiff will be in the mix and Nottingham Forest looks to be his likely destination.
In terms of the past, the sudden availability of Jack Wilshere made me think back to the days of Dave Jones and Peter Ridsdale. I could just imagine them hunkering down, thinking of ways to try and bring him in. A way of making it work.
They always seemed to make a little go a long way and had a penchant for maverick talents. There are distinct risks and rewards with these types of signings, but if you get it right, you sign a player that will never be forgotten. Cardiff don’t really have a Craig Bellamy or a Jason Koumas, a Robbie Fowler or a Jay Bothroyd, but how they need one.
Wilshere was a generational talent, but his body has too often failed him. Now 28, West Ham have reportedly just forked out £3.3m to pay up the final year of his contract, so in theory, if he joined a club prepared to pay him £15,000-a-week, it would make up the salary he was receiving. That would surely have given Jones and Ridsdale a lightbulb moment.
No-one is expecting a gamechanging signing to walk in the door during the next week or so, as common sense meets disappointment. Cardiff probably need one because, like Wilshere, it’s a flip of a coin as to whether or not the only one they have plays.
The difference between Cardiff with and without Lee Tomlin can sometimes be remarkable. Were he 23 and more reliable, he could probably shoulder Cardiff’s attacking burden. A club can show ambition in many different ways, but their favourite is in the transfer market. That is becoming increasingly difficult in the current climate, as even Barcelona are having to sell to buy. Ambition need not always cost the earth, though, and a creative approach to signings can bear considerable fruit, as Cardiff’s recent past has proven.
Do Cardiff have a plan up their sleeves for the remainder of the transfer window? We shall soon see.