Cardiff City announced their first signing of the season with the arrival of Josh Murphy from Norwich. The winger joins for an undisclosed fee – although it is rumoured to be in the region of £11 million.
Our team of writers put together their thoughts on the transfer for our very first VFTN Verdict.
If you want to learn more about Murphy, check out our Scout Report.
Ben James
“Josh Murphy is exactly the kind of player Cardiff City should be signing. A young, hungry, tricksy winger with bags of pace who can score and assist goals in abundance. A quick look at his highlights last year reveal some absolutely stunning strikes and some brilliant assists. He’s only 23 and will complement our front line perfectly. A forward four of Paterson, Hoilett, Zohore, and Murphy should be full of goals and running. Credit to Warnock for getting his man – as he said, he was his number one target – and going for young, exciting talent. Hopefully this is the first of many exciting signings!”
Paul Gronow
“Jacob Murphy adds yet further pace to an already rapid front-line and is most certainly an upgrade on the wide players that have now departed Cardiff City FC (Wildschut and Feeney). It was clear to all that Neil Warnock was an admirer of Murphy after last season and it’s reassuring to see the board supporting him with some serious money in order to secure Murphy’s services. He is certainly one to get the Bluebirds off their seats next season and could be the missing piece going forward.”
"This is an exciting time and a great place to be.”
Watch & read more from #CardiffCity new boy @joshmurphy65 ???? https://t.co/TOl1jQFpjc #CityAsOne ????⚽️????⚽️ pic.twitter.com/jiBBialLkt
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) June 12, 2018
Scott Johnson
“I think Josh Murphy is an exciting player and an exciting signing. Predominantly a left winger, but versatile enough to play on either flank, here’s hoping he’s here to compliment rather than replace Junior Hoilett. He’s richly talented, but seemingly a confidence player and his form fluctuates. This is where Warnock steps in. He will look to unlock that potential on a more consistent basis and if he does, he will have some player on his hands. Maybe he should try and loan his twin brother Jacob to play on the right wing?”
Scott Salter
“I like this signing. First and foremost, it’s nice to see us get a signing in early – and to not be afraid to splash the cash for the right man! Murphy adds pace, something it seems Neil Warnock likes in his wingers. He’s a goal threat – including the odd spectacular effort – and like to have plenty of shots in the box, which should work well in our system. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be a starter straight away, but it was obvious that we needed more depth in this position. A great start to the transfer window.”
Ben Isaacs
“There’s a lot to like about Josh Murphy, but after all the talk of tight purse-strings, £11m feels a lot to spend on a player who doesn’t automatically give the team a huge upgrade. I know £11m isn’t an insane amount in the top flight but the fact so many Norwich fans feel they got the best out of this deal gives me pause. If he has a good season and we go down we’ll likely make a profit. If we go down and no one else wants him then at least we know he’s Championship ready. I still like the signing but I’m not rubbing my hands together just yet.”
Nathan Walker
“Whether he’s here as a replacement for Hoilett or to strut his stuff on the opposite flank, we’ll find out soon enough. He strikes me as a deluxe Nathaniel Mendez-Laing. A quality player on his day, he just needs the correct manager to churn out the consistency, and hopefully Warnock is just the man to do that.”