Supporters of Cardiff City are in for one heck of a ride this summer. There will be names and rumours bandied about left, right and centre and it should all make for a thrilling few months.
By now, the club have an iron-cast idea of who will be leaving, who will be coming in and the other targets they still need to get. It's been a terrible season on the pitch and an incredible amount of work is going on behind the scenes to ensure that isn't the case next term.
There are a lot of moving parts, too, with a mass exodus of players expected and a huge job to be done on the recruitment front. Get it right and it could set City on the path to success. Get it wrong and, well, it scarcely bears thinking about.
Here, we run you through what's to be expected in terms of both ins and outs in the coming months...
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The expiring contracts
This has been well documented, of course, but the players who will leave at the end of their contracts really do set the precedent for what else is to come in this window. The exorbitant wages which are heading out the door will pave the way for Cardiff to lower their annual bill and build a more sustainable, fit-for-purpose club — well, that's the plan anyway.
Steve Morison has already confirmed that goalkeeper Alex Smithies, believed to be one of the highest-paid players at the club, will depart in June. Many more are expected to go, though.
Isaac Vassell , Ciaron Brown , Josh Murphy , Marlon Pack and Leandro Bacuna , none of whom have featured for the club in months — or years in Vassell's case — are expected to leave. Aden Flint and Will Vaulks have been involved throughout and they appear to be border calls from the club's hierarchy, but as thing stand there doesn't seem too much movement pertaining to them staying in the Welsh capital, which will no doubt divide some fans.
Then there are the final two. Joe Ralls is the player who fans universally seem to want to stay and that is the club's stance, too, WalesOnline understands. The problem is that this new wage structure which will come in next term will likely mean the midfielder would have to take a chunky pay cut if he is to sign fresh terms. There is still hope regarding Ralls' future.
Then, finally, club captain Sean Morrison . He struggled at the start of the campaign before he sustained a season-ending ACL injury up at Barnsley back in February. It leaves him in limbo a little and the situation has stark similarities to the one we saw Joe Bennett endure 12 months ago.
As we understand it, there is some scope regarding working something out with Morrison as he looks to continue his rehab. He is expected to be out until November at the earliest, though, so, at 31, quite what a contract offer looks like is a little sketchy at present.
Then, of course, we have the five loan players — Tommy Doyle (Manchester City), Cody Drameh (Leeds United), Alfie Doughty (Stoke City), Uche Ikpeazu (Middlesbrough), Jordan Hugill (Norwich City) — who are all expected to return to their parent clubs when the season is done. Doughty, of course, has already headed back to the Potteries after getting injured against Luton Town.
Others who could leave
This is the interesting one. Because there could feasibly be 15 players who depart from the list above, but that's not to say all of the players who are in contract will necessarily want to stay at the club.
James Collins is a case in point. Collins was clearly a signing pushed through by former manager Mick McCarthy, who knew the striker from selecting him to play for the Republic of Ireland during his latest stint in charge there. A proven Football League goalscorer, who was on fire in pre-season it must be said, there were few who thought he would have such a torrid maiden campaign with the Bluebirds.
The forward has largely been consigned to under-23s football since January, with all of Hugill, Ikpeazu, Isaak Davies, Max Watters and Mark Harris preferred in front of him. Even Rubin Colwill has started up front at times. Collins has three goals in 29 appearances for Cardiff and it would appear unlikely that he has pressed his case enough to muscle into the frame next term.
Granted, he is 31, but he still has much to offer someone. He had more than a couple of offers last year before Cardiff signed him, for example, with his hometown club Coventry City even thought to be keen on him at one stage. Middlesbrough were, too, when Neil Warnock was in charge. He is a respected striker and no doubt clubs in the Championship and below will have monitored his situation. It would be no surprise to see him depart.
Gavin Whyte will come back from Oxford United and could be placed on the transfer list. The Northern Irishman has done well enough at his former club, but it is understood his wages are too high for Cardiff to carry and they would benefit from him being off the books. Again, it's unlikely he would be short of suitors after notching 10 assists and a goal this term for the U's.
It is understood the club are not intending on allowing Colwill to leave, for what it's worth, rightly believing the playmaker to have great potential. That is, of course, unless some club comes in with silly money, but that's the case with anyone. He will grow to be a more important member of the Cardiff squad next year and beyond.
There are potentially a few question marks around some of the younger members of the squad. The players who are too old to be taking up room in the under-23s but haven't made a big enough impact at first-team level to really demand their place in the squad.
The ones who spring to mind are Harris , Tom Sang, Sam Bowen and George Ratcliffe . Watters could potentially be placed in that bracket, but he has not been given nearly enough opportunities and the club invested heavily in him last January. It's hoped he can kick on next season.
Harris has his admirers, not least within the Wales camp, where he has been selected for the last few squads and has given an excellent account of himself. He is not a proven goalscorer, however he does offer a lot elsewhere around the pitch. But, it cannot go without mention, with seven goals in 54 Cardiff appearances, are Cardiff right to expect a better output from him? The forward, who turns 24 at the end of this year, has one year left on his deal, though, so it would be no surprise if he stayed.
Sang is a curious one. He seemed to flourish under McCarthy last season, but had an injury-hit start to this campaign, struggling to get over a foot injury he sustained a year ago. He, too, has many admirers among the City fan base and many believe he has something to offer. He is neat and creative on the ball, however the general consensus is that he might not possess the pace to play as a wing-back.
Morison has said he views him more as a midfielder, however the player himself wants to operate at right-back, where he has been operating on loan at St Johnstone. He hasn't been a nailed-on starter for the Scottish outfit, though, so it will be interesting to see how the conversation goes between Sang and Morison upon the player's return. Someone will have to yield, and many hope that will be the case, or the exit door could beckon.
Bowen is a curious one. He clearly impressed McCarthy and Terry Connor, but after his injury lay-off at the tail end of last year he has looked miles away from the first team. The 21-year-old endeared himself to supporters with some bright early performances, but he doesn't really look near the first-team picture as things stand. Might a move, loan or otherwise, be on the cards for him? One to monitor.
Ratcliffe has been backed to break into the first-team fold for some time, but has scarcely had a look-in. He turns 22 this summer and has never had a first-team appearance. With Cardiff actively looking for a replacement for Alex Smithies, and Dillon Phillips already in situ, when does Ratcliffe have to start looking elsewhere? Especially when Rohan Luthra has been given the nod for the bench the last few weeks. Another one to keep an eye on.
Morison also mentioned that most of the players who are on loan will likely head back out on loan again next term. That might mean Sang, although it wouldn't seem to benefit anyone given he has only one year left on his deal.
Keenan Patten (Hereford), Kieron Evans (Linfield), Chanka Zimba (Northampton) and James Connolly (Bristol Rovers) are all out on loan and one suspects they will be next term, too. Morison has also mentioned recently that academy right-back Jai Semenyo and central midfielder Eli King could be candidates to head out on loan next season.
What and who they need
What do they need? They need everything! They literally need players all over the pitch. One scan above tells you as many as 20 players could leave, albeit some of them young and needing the first-team experience. That is basically repopulating an entire squad.
If, for instance, we take a glancing look at the players in situ who would be considered nailed-on starters for a Championship club next season, we would have Phillips, Mark McGuinness, Curtis Nelson, Ryan Wintle, Colwill and Isaak Davies. That's best-case scenario, too. Joel Bagan might have a case, Watters and Harris, too, but it really does look threadbare when you view it like that.
Ideally, they would like a couple of the players they have on loan back next season. Doyle has been earmarked for another Championship loan next term and Cardiff would certainly want him back. While it might be fanciful, as top-flight clubs such as Bournemouth have taken a look at him, we are told that all hope is not lost just yet on getting him back.
The same can be said for Drameh . He will want game-time at Leeds United next season and if he is not satisfied that he will get it then Cardiff will be front and centre. Drameh has told people at Cardiff he would be open to coming back if he felt it was the right move for him this summer, although Bournemouth are also monitoring his situation.
As for Ikpeazu , Hugill and Doughty , the chances of them coming back seem to be more remote. Middlesbrough want to sell Ikpeazu, it seems, and Cardiff are looking to spend as little money on transfers as possible this summer.
The likes of Ebou Adams at Forest Green Rovers, who achieved promotion to League One at the weekend, is the type of player Cardiff are after. The midfielder is out of contract, ambitious and has been topping the numbers for two years at the Gloucestershire club. At 26 he is he perfect age, too, as Morison wants to bridge the gap between young and old. He has other suitors, though, in the Championship, as all the top players in the lower leagues doubtless will this summer.
We are also led to believe that Cardiff are growing confident over sealing the signing of goalkeeper in the coming weeks. Another one who is out of contract and will cost no money, transfer-wise.
But that's just the beginning. They need a goalkeeper, two centre-backs, two right-backs, a left-back, three or four central midfielders, two or three wingers and just as many strikers. It could be more than that if players are sold on top of the out-of-contract stars leaving. It really is a complete overhaul.
Hold on to your hats, City fans, it's going to be a bumpy ride!
