By Paul Jones
Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan has claimed new manager Erol Bulut will enable the club to attract “higher profile players” in the future.
The Bluebirds announced on Saturday they have appointed former Fenerbahce boss Bulut as their successor to Sabri Lamouchi, who kept them in the Championship last season but was not retained.
Tan’s suggestion that putting Bulut in charge will lead to a “higher profile and standard of player in the coming years” is a remarkable one, given that the club are still operating under a transfer ban and that the Malaysian himself long ago appeared to turn off the financial taps are far as new signings were concerned.
Even prior to the ban, most of the club’s signings were low budget or free transfers with the £500,000 they paid Tottenham for Kion Etete a year ago, the most they have spent on a player since they shelled out £2.2m to Wigan Athletic for Wales striker Kieffer Moore three years ago.
The Bluebirds, who finished 21st in the Sky Bet Championship – five points above the drop zone after relegated Reading were deducted six points – let Lamouchi go as head coach at the end of the season.
His replacement, Bulut, took unknown Turkish outfit Yeni Malatyaspor to fifth place in the Turkish Super Lig and the Europa League qualifiers.
Cardiff City Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Erol Bulut as First Team Manager.#CityAsOne
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) June 3, 2023
The 48-year-old most recently had spells at Fenerbahce and Gaziantep in the Turkish top flight.
At Fenerbache, he enjoyed a win percentage of 61 per cent, but that dropped to 32 per cent during his time in charge at Gaziantep, which ended in January of this year.
Cardiff owner Vincent Tan said in a statement: “Erol has vast experience both as a player and as a manager, having played Champions League football and managed European sides across 200 League games to date.
“This level of experience is needed at this time and I think will prove invaluable to the squad.
“Erol’s enthusiasm and hunger for success impresses me greatly. When we spoke, it became clear that his intensity and hard work ethic matched the core cultural traits that I want our club to return to.
“His excellent record in European football represents a standard of managerial experience that we have not had at Cardiff City before. His experience in this field, I hope, will allow us to attract a higher profile and standard of player in the coming years.”
As a player, Bulut represented Olympiacos and Fenerbahce in the Champions League and won multiple domestic honours with both clubs.
Bulut will meet the Cardiff squad on Monday and is due to speak to the media later that afternoon.
I’m not sure about this!!! We need a strong start, I don’t care bout last season this year is a playoff challenge at least!! 🙏🏽 https://t.co/JTYMTjQHVo
— Jay bothroyd (@jaybothroyd) June 3, 2023
Cardiff City Supporters Trust were critical of Tan following the departure of Lamouchi, who delivered on his brief of keeping the club in the Championship.
They issued a statement through chair Keith Morgan which read: “We find ourselves, yet again, without a manager having come perilously close to relegation last season. We have a team that evidently needs to be strengthened in the challenging context of an embargo.
“In these circumstances the need for a credible managerial appointment is even more critical but, without some sort of football expertise at board level, one wonders whether this is possible. Our churn rate of managers over the last season does not fill me with confidence.
“The lack of any specific information as to the reason for the current situation is unsatisfactory as far as fans are concerned and is symptomatic of the way the club is run by its owner.”
