Tomlin’s gone, be next for an
THERE was a universal understanding from Cardiff City supporters when it was announced this week that Lee Tomlin had been cut from his contract.
Sure, there was a sizeable feeling of disappointment, too, but that was largely down to fans ruing what might have been after the playmaker had shown glimpses of what a division-beating player he could be.
But football, as we know, is a business and no deadwood can be carried, especially given the financial harshness Covid-19 has presented over the last 18 months.
Tomlin has often been lumped in the same, injury-plagued, bracket as Isaac Vassell, the Bluebirds striker who has not played a senior competitive match for the club since August 2019, which is utterly remarkable.
He has just three appearances to his name in a Cardiff shirt, two in the Championship and one, his last outing, in the League Cup.
The forward announced himself immediately at Cardiff City Stadium, leaping highest to head home a last-gasp winner against his former team, Luton Town, on debut to send the Canton Stand into euphoria.
That one moment is about as good as it got for Vassell, though.
He was diagnosed with a thigh injury that would keep him out for two months, but more than two years later he has not kicked a ball in anger.
The question must be asked, then, how long do Cardiff persist? At what point does Vassell get the Tomlin treatment? Or Gary Madine before them?
Vassell’s signing was seen as something of a punt given his sketchy injury record up until that point. The player turned 28 last month and has just 92 career appearances to his name. By contrast, Joe Ralls, who turns 28 next week, has amassed 323.
The striker’s signing has backfired, there is no doubt at all about that. Given the player signed for a reported £1.98m, according to Transfermarkt, he has cost £1m per
Championship appearance.
There is an element of sympathy, of course, there always is when it comes to chronic injury trouble. No fan or lover of the game wants to see a player’s career taken away from them by their ailing body.
But there is also a ruthless, pragmatic side to things which has to be taken into consideration. That is never truer than when your team is near the foot of the table.
Vassell is taking up a spot in Cardiff’s squad at the minute and margins on the wage bill are tighter than ever. Indeed, when Mick McCarthy was previewing this campaign, Tomlin, Vassell and the deadline-day departure Josh Murphy were all in his thoughts.
“I’m happy with the squad I’ve got,” McCarthy said ahead of Cardiff’s season opener against Barnsley at the start of August.
“I’d like Kieffer Moore back fit, Isaac Vassell, Tommo, Josh Murphy fit.
“If they are fit it makes it a hell of a better squad.”
Alas, Tomlin and Murphy have left and it looks increasingly likely that Vassell will never feature again in the blue shirt.
The balance of the squad needs to be redressed in January, because, with Murphy, Tomlin and Vassell, McCarthy was banking on having more firepower, that’s for certain.
The creativity of Tomlin, the pace of Murphy and, one can only think, the expected goal return of Vassell have been three key aspects of Cardiff’s forward play which have been sorely missing so far this term. All three aspects must be addressed in the new year. The youngsters have stepped up admirably, Rubin Colwill’s two-goal turn against Nottingham Forest a particular highlight, but hoping for players such as Mark
Harris, Chanka Zimba, Isaak Davies and Kieron Evans to hit the ground running and fill such important roles is too big of a gamble.
In fact. last week was the first time McCarthy addressed the squad size and potentially hinted at January action.
“I didn’t think I’d have a squad of 22 with some of the youngsters we’ve got in the squad. But that’s how it went,” McCarthy said of the summer transfer window.
“Some have come in and done well.
“It’s a lot easier to come in and do well as a youngster when you’re winning games.
“When they’re having to be relied upon it’s tough for them.
“I don’t criticise any of them, we’ve got to encourage them and get the best out of them.”
Given the wages which have been saved following the releases of high-earning stars such as Joe Bennett, Sol Bamba, Junior Hoilett
and Lee Tomlin, coupled with the Josh Murphy to Preston deal, one would hope there is scope for at least a few loan deals available in January.
If Vassell leaves, too, that should make space for a little more wiggle room on the wage bill.
The current players – 13 of whom are over the age of 23 – are not doing enough to pull their weight, either, so thinking the January window is something of a silver bullet would be wide of the mark. The players in situ have to lift their game between now and then.
But fresh faces will provide a lift to this beleaguered-looking squad and January does present an opportunity to bolster areas that have been exposed after recent departures.
There is a big question to be answered over Vassell’s future before that bridge is crossed, though.
SOL Bamba has spoken once again about the circumstances surrounding his Cardiff City exit and admitted that he saw himself at the club for a long time before his shock release.
The former Bluebirds centre-back told WalesOnline in a candid interview that he had learned of his Cardiff departure while reading Twitter in France, something which he said had broken his heart.
And when asked about whether he saw his future in the Welsh capital, the Middlesbrough defender was unequivocal in his response.
“Yeah, definitely,” he told BBC Radio Tees. “Our relationship was beyond football. I was talking to the owner on a regular basis about the next stage of my career, the club, the academy.
“I actually had that in my contract, that when I retired I would work for the club in some capacity, which was to be determined. But I was seeing myself there long term, for sure.
“But I can understand, after everything that had gone on, Covid, I got sick, and they wanted to go in a different direction.
“I just think it should have been done a bit better, because they didn’t tell me about it. I just found out in the summer, on Twitter, that I got released.”
“Even this morning the gaffer [Warnock] told me again, because it always pops up, ‘The way they treated you was bad.’ For everything we did for the club, I think I deserved a bit better.”