It would be easy for Cardiff City fans to feel a little daunted heading into what is arguably the club's biggest transfer window in a decade. The mood within the club, though, is that of optimism and a desire to build on what has been an incredibly positive few months.
The player turnover this summer could be huge. As things stand, as many as 10 senior players see their contracts run out, while five loanees will return to their parent clubs. It presents a big challenge for Steve Morison, the board and the recruitment staff, but, if done well, has the potential to set the club on a successful path.
Work has already started behind the scenes and will ramp up markedly in the next month or so. Notably, because that is the time when Premier League clubs will decide on which young players they will keep and who will be told to find pastures new.
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Given rule changes due to Brexit, English clubs at the top level are being forced to look within the UK for their young recruits, while many top academies have decided to cling on to more budding prospects than usual. For example, Chelsea might typically release four or five young prospects in a summer, who get snapped up by Southampton, Brighton and the like and there is a knock-on effect as those clubs let youngsters go, with clubs like Cardiff then reaping the rewards.
There has been less of that in recent transfer windows, though, due to registration rule changes caused by Brexit. But Cardiff will still try to benefit, as always, and could see trialists in the door as early as next month after Premier League clubs make their decisions.
The positive thing for Cardiff's perspective, we are told, is that young players, agents and even clubs looking to loan youngsters out are more receptive to the idea of coming to the Welsh capital city club now due to what has happened in recent months. Young players can see a pathway to the first team, as evidenced by the plethora of budding starlets now populating first-team squads, loan players have come in and are thriving in this system and the style of play is now more aligned with the majority of other clubs in the Championship and the Premier League, which makes the transitions that much easier.
Credit must go to Morison, Tom Ramasut and Mark Hudson for that. They have made Cardiff's attack far more threatening, have a clearer style of play which is being adhered to and the defence has shored up to no end. The product of Cardiff City is a far healthier one to sell to prospective players, agents and clubs now that it once might have been.
The Manchester City relationship is just one example of how positive these recent months have been. Tommy Doyle's performances and the way in which Morison has managed him are understood to have been received incredibly well by the north west club and Cardiff believe that will stand them in good stead for the summer and beyond.
It works the other way, too. Bristol Rovers' stock will have risen in Cardiff's quarters due to the opportunity which has been afforded to James Connolly during his time across the Severn. The Bluebirds are extremely happy with how his loan has worked out and there could be an opportunity for the clubs to work together in a similar scenario moving forward. That, in turn, works its way down the football pyramid.
During Neil Harris' reign, the board pushed for an overhaul in the recruitment structure and we are seeing tangible rewards now. External appointments have brought a fresh perspective and have moved the club in a more sustainable direction. Morison, who was initially brought in to manage the under-23s, David Hughes, now head of the academy, and recruitment chief Kevin Beadell, who joined from Arsenal, have all had a positive impact since their arrivals. (As an aside, recruitment consultant Dave Bowman was brought in from Ipswich Town, but he left the club when Mick McCarthy was let go.)
Insiders at the club also continue to talk up the work of analysts Patrick Deboys and Matthew Jenkins, both of whom are crucial to the Bluebirds' recruitment network and have played key roles in identifying talent over the last few windows.
Now there is a push to expand the recruitment department's reach. Due to the crowded UK marketplace, as mentioned above, Cardiff want to utilise more untapped areas. They want more eyes on Non-League football, which has become far more doable now with the advent and progress of video analysis, where they think there are hidden gems. The signing of Jai Semenyo from Mangotsfield United is testament to that - the right back is a player for whom the club have high hopes. But, also, they want to expand their horizons abroad.
The Bluebirds' senior squad has only one player from outside the UK and Ireland and that is Dutch-born Curacao international Leandro Bacuna, who in all likelihood could leave the club this summer. But Cardiff are expected to cast their net into the foreign market now in countries such as Germany, France and Holland. Recruitment staff will analyse a player's videos six or seven times before presenting them to Morison and Co, so the work being done is thorough.
The important point is that Cardiff's recruitment structure is now far better aligned, a word we hear a lot from Morison in his press conferences. The recruitment staff work around the clock as Morison deals with immediate first-team matters, but know which positions and, crucially, which type of players are needed moving forward. It was clear in January they wanted pace out wide, something which will be another requirement this summer, while physical forwards and creativity in behind them were also high on the agenda. It's fair to say all that was delivered and the rewards are clear to see.
There are regular meetings between recruitment heads, academy boss David Hughes, as well as the Bluebirds' under-16s, under-18s and under-23s coaches to look at succession planning, too, to decipher in which position they think the club will have strength and where there will be deficiencies in the years to come. That way they can plan which positions need short-term bolstering and which positions need covering over a longer period of time.
So, back to this summer, then. Money will be thin on the ground, but it is understood that if Cardiff see a potential investment opportunity which could yield rewards in the future then they would be willing to pay money for players. Mark McGuinness is a perfect example of someone who was brought in at a snip but could yield the club a decent profit if sold on in the years to come. If an opportunity like that presents itself again, Cardiff would certainly be receptive to it. A similar school of thought was in place before the signing of Max Watters, too.
Crucially, it is not in the club's plans to bring costly older players in with no resale value anymore. It's all about being far smarter in the market now than they perhaps had been in the few years prior to this marked recruitment shift. They want to utilise the loan system again, for example, because they believe they can get a higher calibre player at a fraction of the price and it worked so brilliantly in January.
The club have also identified a noticeable player gap between the ages of 24 to 26 and it is in this bracket they will look for the best free agents they can snap up as they try to build a more-rounded squad. Morison spoke more in depth about that here recently.
They want to add an experienced head or two, as well, but will then look for budding young loan stars such as the next Tommy Doyle or Cody Drameh to add pace and creativity. Morison is expected to continue his playing style evolution and that can be accelerated next season by having the right players in the building to do so.
That Huddersfield Town model which has been alluded to before by Morison remains an example Cardiff would like to follow and, on the face of it, that certainly looks achievable. Recruit smart, stick with the long-term vision and ensure there is a succession plan for the future.
That's the crux of it, really. And it is genuinely no exaggeration to say the feeling within the club is one of actual excitement rather than trepidation over the task which lies ahead this summer.
There is a real buzz and positivity around the place and the minute and the last thing the club want is for the bubble to burst. They view this as an opportunity to build on the work done over the last few months and are determined to not let the good work go to waste.
