Jaden Philogene is currently Cardiff City's man of the moment after his match-winning performance against Rotherham United at the weekend.
The Aston Villa winger has largely flattered to deceive thus far and has had to fall in line behind the likes of Callum O'Dowda, Sheyi Ojo and Mark Harris in the first third of the season. But on Saturday afternoon, he produced a half of football which served as a timely reminder of just why the Bluebirds wanted to sign him on loan in the first place.
Philogene appears to have all the tools in his locker to be a devastating attacker, particularly at this level. His fleetness of foot, confidence and trickery are attributes many can only dream of, while he showed a calmness and a composure under pressure on Saturday to strike the crucial blow against the MIllers.
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But those performances have been few and far between thus far. He was the brightest player in Cardiff's chastening 3-0 defeat by Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup and backed up that display with a positive outing, and goal, against Birmingham City in the league in his next match.
It has, though, been a quiet couple of months since then. That is until his excellent 45-minute display at Cardiff City Stadium last Saturday. That's the sort of performance Cardiff were banking on more regularly. Granted the game suited him, Rotherham were poor and Cardiff were in the ascendancy, allowing Philogene the space and freedom to create at will, but you still have to come up with the goods even when it's not your ideal scenario.
Cardiff's initial summer transfer strategy was predicated on topping up their squad with five quality loan additions, getting Premier League quality at a fraction of the price it would cost to sign them permanently. It didn't work out like that for a number of reasons, one of which being the new FIFA transfer law which now recognises a loan to Cardiff as an international transfer, but they did manage to get three temporary transfers in.
Cedric Kipre, from West Brom, has been a bona fide success. The towering centre-back is one of the most important players in Cardiff's squad and it's a stroke of genius, or a huge oversight from the Baggies, that the Bluebirds have thrashed out a deal which does not include a January release clause.
The other, of course, is Niels Nkounkou. Now, he seemingly falls under the same umbrella Philogene does. The Everton left-back has turned out some stellar moments of magic for the Bluebirds, but has also displayed moments of defensive naivety on more than one occasion which have immediately led to the concession of goals.
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Like Philogene, there is no doubting Nkounkou has something about him; raw pace, a directness while carrying the ball and decent crossing ability. But his defensive shortfalls have hindered the Bluebirds, too.
Aston Villa's decision to loan out Philogene and Everton's call to send out Nkounkou both seem to be the right move. The parent clubs clearly see the eye-catching ability and undoubted talent, but their inconsistencies and shortcomings show they are nowhere near Premier League standard right now.
The trouble for Cardiff is, they don't have the luxury to carry passengers at the moment. They don't have a huge squad and these Premier League kids were expected to have a big impact on the team this season. With a third of the season under their belts, both report cards would read: 'C+ - could do better.'
Left-back is an issue for Cardiff. It looked like the Bluebirds had unearthed a gem after Jamilu Collins' first few outings in a City shirt, but his injury meant they were back to square one. Joel Bagan has looked OK when he has played, particularly defensively, but Cardiff ideally want more from him going forward.
Nkounkou was the 11th-hour saviour in the transfer window, but whether him being hooked at half-time against Rotherham was an indication that change is afoot in that position will be an interesting sub-plot to Wednesday night's team selection when Watford visit Cardiff City Stadium. If he is taken out of the firing line in favour of Bagan, Callum O'Dowda or even Tom Sang or Mahlon Romeo, Cardiff won't want it to be a permanent solution.
Cardiff need players like Nkounkou to start stepping up regularly. It might mean moving to a back five, a system in which Nkounkou has more defensive protection around him, or just drilling him on the training ground to hone his deficiencies at the back.
The same goes for Philogene, too. Cardiff, and Villa, will want to see more regular, quality attacking output. He should be one of the star turns this season for the Bluebirds and he has the capability to do that.
Cardiff's squad is seen as functional, with precious few players capable of producing moments of real quality or magic in that final third. There is a reliance on Callum Robinson, who still has two more games to serve in his ban, Rubin Colwill, who has scarcely been seen this season, Sheyi Ojo, who has also blown hot and cold, Philogene and, to a certain extent, Nkounkou to produce these match-winning, X-factor moments for Cardiff.
If Cardiff are to start climbing that table, both Philogene and Nkounkou need to channel the sort of performances fellow loanee Kipre has been churning out, week after week. They have shown, in glimpses, they are both more than capable.
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