Bluebirds looking to catch a Fish with move for defender
CARDIFF City are reportedly keen to add young Manchester United centre-back Will Fish to their ranks in the summer.
The defender, 20, is currently on loan in the Scottish Premiership at Hibernian and has caught the eye with a string of impressive performances for the Edinburgh club.
Fish has made 28 appearances for the capital city side, including five in the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifiers and will remain in Scotland for the rest of the season on loan.
The Athletic, however, report that Cardiff are eyeing a free transfer for the player, who sees his Old Trafford deal expire in June, as they look to bolster their defensive options next season.
He has one goal and one assist so far this term. They also state “several clubs” are interested in a deal this summer, too. Fish has one Manchester United appearance to his name, a substitute outing in the Premier League against Wolves on the final day of the 2020/21 campaign.
That, of course, does not solve Erol Bulut’s current transfer headache, with a paucity of options at centreback at time of writing.
Only Dimitrios Goutas and Mark McGuinness are recognised seniorlevel centre-backs, with Jonathan Panzo having been sent back to Nottingham Forest over a lack of game time.
It is understood the club are working to get a centre-back in before the February 1 winter transfer deadline, with the Bluebirds boss stating he wants as many as six new players in the next 13 days.
At least one striker, a winger, a midfielder and a centre-back are all still on the shopping list as the window enters its latter stages.
Meanwhile, Bulut has added Badou N’Diaye on to his list of potential midfield transfers, according to reports in Turkey.
We know Cardiff are looking to add as many as six new players in the next 13 days, which at the time of writing feels like a tall order with no additions expected before today’s Championship game with Plymouth.
Midfield is an area Bulut has wanted to properly address since last summer, but has so far managed to add only Manolis Siops to his roster in that position.
Bulut has already stated that he’s had to pivot and opt for alternative players in fear of waiting until the end of the window and being left empty-handed and reports in Turkey now claim N’Diaye could be a leftfield addition this window.
Reporter Ertan Süzgün suggests the 33-year-old Senegal international, who plays for Adan Demirspor, is on Bulut’s list.
Samsunspor and Pendikspor, who beat Cardiff to the signing of Umut Nayir, have also been mentioned in dispatches.
N’Diaye has probably best known on these shores for his three-year stint with Stoke City, but has played for Turkish giants Galatasaray in his time, too.
Bulut has also ruled out recalling any of his players currently out on loan. Given City’s transfer struggles so far in this window — Bulut had hoped to secure a couple of signings earlier in the window — one might have suspected that Cardiff would turn to the likes of Joel Bagan or Isaak Davies, who are currently on loan in Belgium.
It would be an easy way for the Bluebirds to bolster their squad and alleviate some pressure with a couple more back-up options. But that won’t happen. Bulut wants his loan players to stay out with their respective clubs until the end of the campaign in the hope it will serve to add quality to their squad next season.