As Kenwyne Jones leaves the Bluebirds to join United Arab Emirates club Al Jazira, a reported £700,000 bid for Dutch striker Wout Weghorst has—for the time being—fallen through. He currently plays for Heracles Almelo who sit fourth in the Eredivisie.
The Bluebirds find themselves desperately short of quality attacking options as Jones leaves, playing his last game in a Bluebirds jersey after reportedly stating there was no contract offer made by the club.
That move leaves top-scorer Joe Mason, who has just six goals to his name after 20 appearances this term, and on-loan Charlton Athletic striker Tony Watt, who has scored two goals in his eight appearances for Cardiff City. The only other recognised forwards are recalled striker Alex Revell who had his loan at Wigan Athletic cut short and Sammy Ameobi, who has been used as an impact player from the bench but is yet to convert the performances into goals—a hoodoo all of the club strikers appear to be suffering with at present.
With Russell Slade stating he is in the market for three signings, let’s take a look at who could improve the current squad.
Josh Vela—Midfielder—Bolton Wanderers
The young midfielder has played 15 games for the Trotters this season who are struggling on the pitch as well as off it with their current financial plight. The club are in severe financial difficulties and it could mean an exodus of players to pay the required immediate debts.
Josh Vela has been impressive despite the club’s plight. He is someone who could add grit to the midfield which has been a significant problem over the last couple of seasons for Cardiff with the exception of Joe Ralls. A reported £450,000 bid was made in December by the Bluebirds, who will be hoping Bolton will be willing to accept a lower offer due to their financial circumstances.
Tony Watt—Striker—Charlton Athletic (currently on loan at Cardiff City)
It has been confirmed that Cardiff will be looking to make the loan signing of Tony Watt permanent in January, with the striker looking to cost the club in the region of £1 million. The forward has impressed since his arrival at the club with some effective performances, despite not setting the goal chart alight.
Bradley Dack—Midfielder—Gillingham
Dack has been impressive for a Gillingham side that sits second in League One, one point behind current leaders Burton Albion. The midfielder has the ability to score goals as well as perform in general play and with youth on his side he could be the perfect man to sit along side Joe Ralls in the centre of midfield. Cardiff City have a torrid history of signing young, lower league players and not utilising them to their full potential. He could cost in the region of £750,000 if Gillingham would allow him to leave, despite manager Justin Edinburgh stating that no bids have been made for Dack.
In other transfer news, Cardiff City have slapped a whopping £10 million price tag on captain and number one shot-stopper David Marshall to fend off any potential interest from Premier League clubs, with Everton reportedly interested in replacing Tim Howard.
