Sabri Lamouchi is keen to hear Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan's vision for the club as he prepares for crunch talks over his future next week.
WalesOnline revealed on Thursday that Tan is flying into London this weekend and will hold talks with Bluebirds manager Lamouchi, whose contract expires after Monday's game against Burnley.
Lamouchi achieved the goal of Championship survival, but already time is ticking when it comes to planning for next season with regards to signings and even the pre-season trip which is seen as a crucial part of hitting the ground running in the following campaign.
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But all will likely be resolved in the coming days, with Lamouchi eager to meet Tan for the first time.
“The news is we will meet together next week, so we will see," Lamouchi said. “They told me that (Tan is flying in), so probably I will meet the owner for the first time. I am patient because I need to know, I need to meet him.
“I was ready to go to Singapore or Malaysia to meet him because I am happy here and I would like to know what kind of plan they have for the future, not only for the next season but maybe for the next two, three seasons.
“I am not new in football. I am just doing my job the best I can, being professional until the end. After that the owner and the club will decide, not me.”
If Cardiff are to avoid the sluggish start they have endured for the last two seasons, decisions must be rubber-stamped so they can get cracking with their preparations for the 2023/24 campaign.
“Absolutely!" Lamouchi said when asked if things need to be resolved soon. "Even for me, it’s really important because as soon as we know, we can start to work for the future.”
If Lamouchi did stay on, then he would have to operate within strict financial constraints this summer, with the Bluebirds currently under a partial EFL transfer embargo which prohibits them from paying fees for players.
He understands what the summer 2023 transfer window would look like and believes it would constitute shrewd moves and leaning heavily on contacts.
“I would like to know what the owner wants to do and after that what we can do," he added,
“After that to know his decision, I will give my decision and we will see what we can do together. But for sure, Cardiff is a massive club and it deserves to do something different.
“But to do something different is to anticipate, to have a plan and to try to make some smart moves."
Asked if he would be comfortable working within such tight budgetary constraints, he replied: "No. Not comfortable, because when you don't have the money to buy quality players, you need to be smart and play differently and with the network of people you know.
"It's not comfortable to work without money, like it's not comfortable to work with a lot of money, because you can do stupid things. We just need to know what we need and be clinical in our decision.
"So with a great move with quality and increases value for the club and the squad."
One thing that can be gleaned from Lamouchi's press conference is that it does not appear to be a foregone conclusion that he will be in the dugout for the first game of next season.
But next week's crucial meeting holds the key to Cardiff's future, that much is certain.
“I am waiting for this meeting. It’s clear, he will trust me or not, he will give me the job or not," he said.
“I just want to meet him. I need to know what he wants to do with this club. It’s a massive club so we need to take care about what we want to do and try to do our best.”
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