Cardiff City have continued their rapid start to the summer by announcing their fourth signing in the form of Nigeria international Jamilu Collins.
WalesOnline exclusively revealed on Thursday the left-back, who has left German second tier side SC Paderborn, was set for a medical at Cardiff ahead of his announcement as a Bluebirds player.
And now the club has revealed the 27-year-old, who has signed a two-year deal with the Bluebirds, is the latest to join Steve Morison's side as the massive squad rebuild has one more piece of the puzzle in place.
READ MORE : Jamilu Collins pens heartfelt goodbye message to SC Paderborn fans ahead of Bluebirds move
Bluebirds boss Morison said: “I’m over the moon. We’ve been monitoring him for a long period, and we’re really pleased to get him signed. He’s a great athlete, a really good left-back, and can play in that left wing-back position as well. I’m really pleased that we’ve got competition for places. I want to get as many bodies in for the start of pre-season, because the first 10 days of pre-season are going to be huge."
The player's versatility is certainly seen as a big plus point, given he can play at centre-back, wing-back and on the left-hand side of midfield, however his primary position is as an orthodox left-back. It is a position which Cardiff definitely need bolstering, with Joel Bagan the only recognised senior left-back at the club.
Collins is someone Cardiff's recruitment team identified earlier this year and the club have kept tabs on him ever since. He played for Nigeria in this year's Africa Cup of Nations, featuring for 90 minutes in their 2-0 win over Guinea-Bissau, and Cardiff were keen onlookers then.
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The Bluebirds also sought references from contacts in this country about the player. It is understood former Cardiff defender Semi Ajayi, currently at West Brom and also Collins' team-mate at international level, was one of those to give a positive reference. WalesOnline reported back in March that Cardiff were to cast their net further afield this summer, hoping to dip into the European market for bargains. Insiders at the club certainly hope Collins will prove to be just that.
The player himself said of the move: "I’m really excited to be in Cardiff, and I can’t wait to get started. The club has great history, and when I got the call to come to Cardiff, I was so excited, I couldn’t resist. I’m looking forward to the challenge of the new season. The goal is to fight for the Premier League. I can’t wait to meet the supporters and to fight for the jersey."
Collins has 25 Nigeria caps to his name and was at Croatian club Rijeka for five seasons before joining Paderborn, a club he helped to achieve two promotions to reach the Bundesliga in 2019.
Collins becomes the fourth player to commit to the Bluebirds following the acquisitions of Ebou Adams, Jak Alnwick and Ollie Tanner.
