Cardiff’s City’s Deadline Weekend To-Do List

Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy (left). Pic. Alamy

Cardiff City have kept their powder dry in this transfer window, or else maybe they just have no gunpowder. Either way, it’s time to find some, says Ian Mitchelmore.

It was scarcely believable that up until Friday morning, Nathan Trott remained Cardiff City's sole signing since the club were relegated from the Championship.

To his credit, the goalkeeper has been simply mesmerising during the early stages of his season-long loan from Danish side Copenhagen, keeping clean sheets in each of his first four league starts for the club.

It means, it's the first time the Bluebirds have shut out their opposition in the league in four matches on the bounce since February 2018.

That was the season they gained promotion to the Premier League under former manager and occasional miracle-worker, Neil Warnock.

But given the raft of departures over the summer, in addition to the ankle injury sustained by Ollie Tanner in the 1-0 win at Wimbledon, it is clear current head coach Brian Barry-Murphy needs reinforcements.

With Tanner unlikely to return to action until the New Year, an additional winger could well be brought in over the final days of the window.

Chris Willock is the most experienced option Cardiff currently have in that regard, and while his end product was sorely lacking in the 0-0 draw at Port Vale, the Arsenal academy graduate produced a moment of magic to bamboozle the Luton defence, before scoring what proved to be the winner for his side at Kenilworth Road last Saturday.

Cardiff do also have Cian Ashford to deploy out wide, while Wales youth international Isaak Davies is also able to operate in that position.

Also, despite their stunning defensive record so far – with just one goal conceded in their five League One games - it's at the back where there is a clear need to strengthen.

The Bluebirds lost heaps of experience over the summer - with Republic of Ireland international Callum O'Dowda and Nigeria international Jamilu Collins among those to move on.

It has left a real lack of depth on the left side of their back four, with 23-year-old Joel Bagan now being the only out-and-out left-back in the club's ranks.

Similar applies at the heart of the defence given the exit of Dimitrios Goutas - along with that of the lesser-spotted Ryotaro Tsunoda.

Jesper Daland - whose only appearance this season came in the opening day victory over Peterborough - has also been in talks with another club and could well be shipped out.

That simply further highlights the need for more options for Barry-Murphy at centre-back.

The encouraging news for fans came on Friday morning as former Luton Town defender Gabriel Osho was announced as having signed a four-year contract with Cardiff following a permanent move from Auxerre.

Following the arrival of Trott in addition to Ethan Horvath's loan switch to Championship outfit Sheffield Wednesday, the goalkeeping situation is far clearer than it was just over a month or so ago.

Jak Alnwick is among those who could potentially leave in search of regular game time, given that he has not featured at all so far this season and has not even made a match day squad since the Peterborough win.

In terms of Cardiff’s methods, there was an acceptance that a style shift was needed this summer - with Cardiff determined to make progress in their attempt to secure a swift return to the Championship, while also building towards their long-term aim of reaching the Premier League again.

With that in mind, there has been a real willingness to - at long last - fully utilise the club's academy, giving players who have previously been starved of opportunities the chance to showcase their talents in the third tier.

This shift in mindset – from skepticism towards youth to finally showing some faith - will also help the club financially.

There should now be less of an emphasis put on transfer fees, which is sensible given the drop off in revenue following relegation from the Championship.

But the squad is already desperately thin in areas, and, as seen with the injury to Tanner, there could be a huge strain placed on Cardiff's youthful side to cope with the demands of a 46-game League One campaign.

Winning games with the sun on their backs in August is entirely different to expecting a young squad to grind out results in the deep mid-winter.

Three quality additions prior to Monday's transfer deadline would certainly give Barry-Murphy another lift and further enhance his side's prospects of maintaining what has been a sublime start to the season.