Cardiff City have turned to a Danish striker to save their bacon for a second time in three years.
The £9m-rated Andreas Cornelius failed to impress for the Bluebirds when they were trying to stay in the Premier League, but Neil Warnock says 22-year-old Kenneth Zohore is a far different prospect.
City are in a Championship relegation scrap now, but manager Warnock is prepared to scrap plans to bring in a big money new signing and pin his hopes on the Danish under-21 international.
Copenhagen-born Zohore has impressed in both of Cardiff’s last two fixtures, a 2-1 win against Wolves and the 4-3 defeat against Barnsley, and will undoubtedly feature in their Boxing Day clash with Brentford at Griffin Park (1pm).
Zohore is on a three-year contract, which ends in the summer of 2019, but Warnock admits he was ready to send the 6ft 3ins centre-forward on his way in January.
Now the experienced Warnock believes he will save City money by filling the slot which would have gone to a new signing.
Zohore was sent on at half-time against Wolves after a dreadful City team performance before the break and Warnock admitted: “If we hadn’t been so bad I might never have known how good he could be. I’m a lucky sod, aren’t I?
“He has been a massive plus for us. I was looking to spend decent money on a striker in January, but I couldn’t buy anybody better than he is.
“He is quick, powerful and well get better. He knows now that he can do that every week, putting teams under pressure and creating panic for defenders.
“Zohore causes problems and creates chances and is the type of striker I have been looking for. Somebody who can go beyond, be strong, flick the ball on here and there. I wish some of our chances against Barnsley, when we had 22 shots, had fallen to him.
“He was treading water by the end, but I didn’t want to take him off.
“If Zohore carries on hitting the same standards I will be delighted to have him on board and spent the money I have put by for a striker elsewhere.
“He is what I have been looking for all along. A big plus.”
Former FC Copenhagen striker Zohore had a loan spell at Cardiff last season.
He was signed in January by Cardiff owner Vincent Tan’s Belgium club, KV Kortrijk, from Danish outfit Odense and immediately loaned to the Bluebirds until the end of the season.
Zohore, a cousin of former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba, scored two goals in two Championship starts along with coming off the bench 10 times and then signed a three-year deal for Cardiff.
Sol Bamba serves the final game of his three-match ban with Bruno Manga, who will be going to play in the Africa Cup of Nations in January, partnering captain Sean Morrison in the back four.
Brentford are using a 5-3-2 formation, having changed during their 5-0 defeat at Norwich City. They were rewarded with wins against Burton Albion and Bristol City before the defeat at Leeds United.
Harlee Dean, John Egan and Andreas Bjelland are the three centre-backs.
“We should have got more at Leeds but we’re feeling good since we’ve gone to a 3-5-2 and controlled games more,” says Dean.
“It’s all about communicating with each other to make things easier for ourselves.”
Bees manager Dean Smith has given his players Christmas Day off to spend with their families, but the Bluebirds will train in the morning.
Probable team, Murphy; Peltier, Morrison, Manga, Bennett; Whittingham, Gunnarsson, Hoilett, Harris, Pilkington, Zohore.
Subs, from: Wilson (gk), Bennett, Ralls, Immers, O’Keefe, Lambert, Noone.
