Wales midfielder Jordan James has finalised his transfer from Birmingham City to French club Rennes for a fee understood to be around £4m. Rennes, under the guidance of manager Julien Stephan, finished 10th in Ligue 1 last season and have captured the 20-year-old on a four-year deal..

Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut has insisted defender Mark McGuinness was left out of the defeat to Sunderland because of a tight hamstring – and not because his thumb and index finger are about to pen a deal to join Luton Town for £10m. The former Arsenal player was conspicuous by his absence from the 2-0 home loss but Bulut claimed it does not mean he is on his way out of the club.

Luke Williams pulled no punches and admitted Swansea City got what they deserved from their Championship opener – nothing. Opponents Middlesbrough won on the opening day for the first time in a decade as Emmanuel Latte Lath continued his blistering form from last season with the only goal in a 1-0 victory. Latte Lath scored 17 league goals in his first campaign on Teesside and took just 25 minutes to open his account this term, netting from the spot after Isaiah Jones was fouled inside the box.

Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut has asked fans to get behind his team’s new style of play as he searched for positives following a  2-0 home defeat against Sunderland in their opening match of the season. After a busy transfer window, Cardiff fans were optimistic going into the start of the new campaign, but the heavy emphasis on possession and a slower build-up was a surprise. A goal in either half by Luke O’Nien and the impressive Jack Clarke gave Sunderland a flying start and the Black Cats deserved their success after seizing their chances.

Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut says he is not surprised Luton Town are interested in ex-Arsenal defender Mark McGuinness. The Bluebirds want around £10m for the central defender – who still has three years left to run on his contract.

Swansea City’s hopes of reviving their flagging fortunes rest squarely on the shoulders of new striker Žan Vipotnik this season. The 22-year-old Slovenian spent the summer at the Euros in Germany with his national side before committing himself to the Championship club following the demise of Bordeaux in Ligue 1 in France.

When it comes to the long ride ahead of a Championship season, nothing prepares a manager better than some time in the saddle. Which may account for the difference in approach between this summer and last for Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut. A year ago, the German-born Turk was bold in his declarations that promotion, or a top six finish at least, was his aim for the campaign.

New Cardiff City signing Alex Robertson is keen to follow in his uncle’s footsteps for the Bluebirds. The 21-year-old midfielder, an Australian international, has joined Cardiff on a four-year contract.

Will Evans has completed a move from Newport County to Mansfield with County chairman Huw Jenkins admitting the £200,000 fee was too good to turn down. Evans has been a jewel in the Rodney Parade crown for the past two seasons and a number of clubs higher up the Football League were understood to be keen to land the former Cymru Premier player.

The New Saints may be a bit pre-occupied with their European campaign at present, but they showed no signs of easing up on their domestic dominance of Welsh football as they kicked off the defence of their Nathaniel MG Cup title with a 5-1 home win over Flint Town United. It turned out to be a good dress-rehearsal for Craig Harrison’s team ahead of Tuesday night’s Europa League third round clash with Moldovan champions, FC Petrocub.

The summer transfer window used to be a frothy cocktail – all foam, sprigs of mint and mini-umbrellas – before the start of the new football season. But this year’s is more like a flat pint of lager served in a plastic cup. Low on fizz, energy and sparkle.

Swansea City have signed Slovenian striker Zan Vipotnik on a four-year deal. The club were in desperate need of strengthening their forward resources ahead of the new Championship season and have recruited a 10-cap international who played at this summer’s Euro 2024 finals.

Cardiff just confirmed their fourth summer signing today, with ex-Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi arriving on a free transfer. The 29-year-old joins on a yearlong deal, adding quality out wide to the Bluebirds side ahead of what is bound to be a challenging season in the Championship this year.

Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut reckons he’s signed an all-rounder who can deliver the vital ingredient for the club next season – goals. Bulut revealed his excitement after the Bluebirds secured the signing of Ivory Coast striker Wilfried Kanga on a season-long loan.

Their Champions League dreams may be hanging by a thread after a 5-0 hammering in Budapest, but Welsh champions The New Saints still believe there is plenty to play for in their second qualifying round, second leg clash with Ferencvaros at Park Hall on Tuesday night (7.00pm kick-off). The Hungarian champions of the past six years proved too strong on the night and in front of a near capacity 23,700 crowd at the Groupama Arena last week they gave their new head coach Pascal Jansen plenty to smile about.

Welsh coaching guru Osian Roberts is spending his summer watching the seeds he has planted across Europe come into full bloom. It might have been a very different few months for Roberts had he not decided to withdraw himself early on from the race to succeed Rob Page as Wales manager.

New Swansea City goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux has revealed the chance to reunite with head coach Luke Williams played a major part in his move from Burnley. Vigouroux has joined the Swans for an undisclosed fee on a two-year deal and will work under Williams for a second time after the pair were together at Swindon Town.

New Saints manager Craig Harrison admitted his team were powerless to prevent a heavy 5-0 defeat in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round in Hungary. The Cymru Premier champions were overwhelmed by Ferencvaros and TNS already look destined to drop down to the Europa League after the home leg.

He may not have quite matched Billy McCandless’ 1948 record of winning his first three games in charge, but Graham Potter did okay as manager of Swansea City. There was no promotion from the Championship to the Premier League – the Swans finished 10th in his one season in charge in 2018-2019 – but there was enough to admire to realise why England may now be keen to make him their successor to the departed Gareth Southgate.

Graham Potter says he feels “really ready, really excited” to return to football management, but would not comment on speculation linking him with the vacant England job. The former Swansea City boss has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in April 2023 after just seven months in charge at Stamford Bridge.