With the World Cup in full swing, it’s easy to forget that Neil Warnock is working away on Cardiff’s Premier League campaign. With two solid signings confirmed already – Josh Murphy from Norwich and Greg Cunningham from Preston – the rumour mill is in medium-drive as clubs start building their squads for the 2018/19 season.
Taking a deep dive into the depths of Twitter, we’ve pulled together the rumours that we’ve spotted and rated them on our own personal likelihood scale – how many Tans out of Tan? Read on for our verdict on some of the rumours we’ve seen so far…
Gosling a-goer?
A new name mentioned on Sunday, Dan Gosling could be on the move from Cardiff’s opening day opponents. The Sun reported that Eddie Howe is lining up an £18m move for Levante’s Jefferson Lerma – and that could leave Gosling out in the cold. And Warnock is willing to offer £5m for the midfielder.
It fits the Warnock bill of an experienced Premier League player for pretty good value. He’s versatile, can play at the back and across the midfield, and is a good outlet – and was a regular for Bournemouth last season. We could spend a lot more and get a lot worse so if all the parts line-up, I’d be pretty happy with Gosling getting on board.
Tolgay Arslan-ding soon?
More left field, a Besiktas Twitter account reported on Sunday that Cardiff had bid £10m for the German midfielder and a number of other accounts picked up on it too. Current team-mate of Gary Medel, he’s a dynamic midfielder who looks comfy through the centre as well as on the wing – and he’s got a decent right foot on him. Cardiff face competition from German powerhouse Stuttgart, which makes these transfer slightly less plausible. But one would hope that Neil can sell Tolgay the delights of Mill Lane on a Saturday night.
Callum Chambers on his way?
Less substantiated than the others, there’s been a few posts flying around linking us to Arsenal’s Callum Chambers. Somehow still only 23, Callum has a point to prove and is being linked with all three promoted teams. His price tag is reportedly £22m – a hefty fee for a player who has never held down a starting berth at the Emirates – which probably puts Wolves at the front of the queue. Perhaps a loan move would be more likely for us – but I’m not sure I see this one coming to fruition.
Robert Snodgrass
The one that just won’t go away. Ever since Cardiff secured their Premier League place, Snodgrass’ name hasn’t been too far away from the lips of many Cardiff fans. Undoubtedly talented, his move to West Ham seemed doomed to failure and he impressed at Villa Park last season. With Tomlin seemingly on the move, and Hoilett’s future uncertain, Snodgrass would bring some creativity and would supplement Joe Ralls on set-pieces. He’s still got time on his side and would want to prove he isn’t a busted flush at PL level. The sticking point would be salary and wages – but if we can cut a deal, this would be a good move. To send this rumour into overdrive, Snodgrass commented on Callum Paterson’s promotion Insta image. Perhaps he’s angling for a move here after all?
Lukasz Fabianski, or not to be?
One of the bright spots in a dismal Swansea City season, Fabianski is being courted by several Premier League clubs – and Cardiff City has been mentioned as one of them. Fabianski has been a class-act for Swansea since he signed in 2014 and will be looking to stay in the top flight to keep his Poland place. Without doubt, he would be a great addition to the Cardiff ranks – but this one is hugely unlikely. Fabianski wouldn’t do the dirt on Swansea like that – and we’d endanger knocking Etheridge’s nose out of joint if we did sign a number 1 contender. But it would be funny to see the upset down west…
No man is an island – except for (Gareth) Barry
Mining Twitter for rumours throws up some unexpected names – and I was surprised when I saw Gareth Barry mentioned. Mr. Dependable had a bit of a shocker last season – and was most famous for being spotted in Snobs the night before a game. That’s 37-year-old Gareth Barry spotted in a student nightclub. He’s still under contract at West Brom but the ire he drew during the relegation means we could probably get the Baggies faithful to drive him down here and drop him off. He’s never been spectacular – but his age worries me. I wouldn’t be averse to having him as an option – but this is an unlikely one.
James McClean, mean, crossing machine
James McClean divides opinion like no other modern day football. He’s either a refreshing change to the modern day primadonnas or an unpatriotic waste of space who doesn’t deserve to play football because he doesn’t wear a poppy. I fall into the former camp and have always been impressed when I see him play. Pacy, creative, and will happily get stuck into a challenge, he’d be a great addition to our squad. How likely is it? I have no idea but if we signed him alongside Murphy, maybe Snodgrass and lost Hoilett, I’d say that’s good going by Warnock.
Luke Ayling-ering on
A rumour that has been knocking around for a few months, on and off, the Leeds vice-captain has a pillar of strength at a club where everything else has seemingly crumbled around him. To add a bit more layer to this one, he happily congratulated Greg Cunnigham on his move to Cardiff – and the two were teammates at Bristol City not too long ago. Will they be re-uinted on the right side of the Severn? I’d like to see it happen. Ayling is a decent centre-back and has wonderful hair to boot – with Morrison and Bamba our first choice two, decent back-ups and options will be needed. Ayling for sure fits that bill.