We do not know when football will return, but it is safe to say that it will look very different when we next see it. That is both on the pitch, where behind closed doors games (something I am very much opposed to) are being proposed, but also off it too.
We do not even know when the next transfer window will be, but that will likely be rather different too. Suffice to say, the free spending days are probably a thing of the past, when a lot of clubs are even struggling to make ends meet.
Free transfers and loans will undoubtedly be more important than ever before. Clubs with players on expiring contracts may also see those situations a little differently to how they did pre-coronavirus.
Take Danny Ward, for example. He is Cardiff’s most high-profile potential soon to be free agent. Seemingly no closer to agreeing new terms, maybe the club once thought they could do better and were happy to let him walk away. Similarly, Ward may have been thinking along the same lines. That may no longer be the case for either side.
As a result, there may not be as many quality free agents on the market and the terms available to them may not be quite as attractive, but competition will be fierce for the unattached few.
When you look at the names that may be on the market, Charlton’s Lyle Taylor is the one that Cardiff should probably make their number one priority.
Taylor’s record for Charlton is excellent. He has 11 goals in 17 starts for a struggling side in a season that has been disrupted by injury. Last year, in League One, he plundered twice that amount.
He may have just turned 30, but Taylor is a class act and a classic centre forward. The type of striker that Cardiff never tend to have, but so desperately need. They’ve had their share of target men and mobile forwards, but have lacked a sniffer in front of goal. They probably haven’t had one since Michael Chopra left.
Taylor is the kind of striker that is both a cool finisher, but also fashions his own chances out of nothing. If there’s one thing he could look forward to playing up front for Cardiff its plenty of nothing! He’s dead cool too. His penalties are something to behold too, casually walking up to the spot, before calmly dispatching.
He’s the sort of striker they need and also the sort of player they should be going for. Taylor would see Cardiff as a step up and relish such an opportunity. Charlton are desperate to keep him and offered him a new deal back in January, but that was withdrawn in a huff by the board, who then left the door open for him.
Lee Bowyer claims that Taylor wants to stay, but it’s all quiet from Taylor’s end, as Charlton currently occupy the final Championship relegation spot. He will surely see how the season pans out before revealing his hand, but has taken every step up in his stride and will surely want to test himself at as high a level as possible.
Taylor is the sort of player that some Cardiff supporters tend to look down their nose at, wanting their signings to come from above, rather than below, but I think he would be a great signing at the best of times. As things currently stand, I think he would be an excellent addition.