While Cardiff City fans wait with bated breath for the release of the club's retained list for the 2022/23 season, there are other players in contract whose futures remain uncertain.
The Bluebirds have 10 players heading out of contract at the end of next month, with Marlon Pack, Aden Flint and Alex Smithies all having announced their departures already. There is nothing to suggest, at the minute, the other seven, including Joe Ralls, have put pen to paper on fresh terms.
But while much of the attention has been centred around the outcome of that highly-anticipated retained list, others have slipped under the radar so far in the off-season, largely owing to the spate of signings last week which came as a timely boost following an extremely disappointing campaign on the pitch.
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So, who will be the men charged with ensuring next season is not so bleak? New signings Jak Alnwick, Ebou Adams, Jamilu Collins and Ollie Tanner, of course. Others under contract are Dillon Phillips, Perry Ng, Mark McGuinness, Oliver Denham, Curtis Nelson, Joel Bagan, Ryan Wintle, Rubin Colwill, Max Watters, Isaak Davies, Mark Harris and James Collins.
Although there are two players omitted from the list above, namely Gavin Whyte and Tom Sang. And there are conversations to be had about them both.
WalesOnline understands such conversations have not taken place just yet, with Sang having played in the play-offs with St Johnstone and Whyte currently away with Northern Ireland on international duty. Will they figure next season?
You could argue the toss with both of them, each player has their merits but whether they have proven themselves worthy of playing a meaningful part in proceedings remains to be seen.
Take Sang, for instance. It is understood he loves being at the club and would happily be at Cardiff for the long haul. He bought a property on the outskirts of the city and was eager to plant roots there after a positive breakthrough campaign last year under Mick McCarthy.
An operation on his toe towards the back end of the previous season really hampered his progressed last term, though. He struggled to regain full fitness and Perry Ng nailed down that right-back berth until January. Morison then revealed there was a disagreement between him and Sang, who saw his best position as right-back but the manager believed his assets best suited a central midfield role.
"I’ve had the conversation with Tom, I personally don’t see him as a wing back," Morison said in January. "I see him as a midfield option. That’s where he has got to fight for his place along with the other midfielders. That’s my opinion.
"At the minute, my opinion is that I didn’t see him as direct competition for Perry, Joel (Bagan) or Ryan Giles when he was here. So, he is in the mix with the other five or six centre midfielders. It’s a tough place to be because there’s a lot of good players there."
In light of that, Sang sought game-time elsewhere as he looked to prove his quality as a right-back and convince Morison it was the best place for him. All nine of his appearances for the Scottish club came as a wing-back, including once on the left-hand side. Morison will have looked forensically at Sang's numbers following each match and will have a far clearer idea of whether he thinks he will be a wing-back or needs to battle for that spot in midfield.
The 22-year-old, who signed a contract extension until the end of 2023, does seem flexible, though, so if he and Morison do not see eye to eye on his favoured position, there is hope there could be some wiggle room so that he does play a part next term.
“I’ve played all my professional games at Cardiff at right wing back,” Sang said in February. “As a player, attribute wise, I think that is where I have the best potential.
“[St Johnstone manager] Callum Davidson saw my games last year so he thinks the same as I do. But if I need to play centre midfield, I’ll do the same job and will enjoy it just as much.”
He gained many admirers during his coming-of-age season in 2021 and many would see it as something of a shame if his time at Cardiff was cut short simply owing to a differing of opinions over position. City fans will no doubt hope that won't be the case.
Then there is Gavin Whyte, a player whose Cardiff City career has stalled over the last 18 months. Well, it struggled to kickstart after Neil Warnock left, truth be told. The Northern Irishman has enjoyed a stellar season with Oxford United in League One, narrowly missing out on the play-offs.
The winger played his part, too, registering 10 assists and a goal while playing on the right, left, centrally and up front for the Us. Some believe he has found his level in League One, while others believe he has not been given a fair crack of the whip in the Welsh capital.
Morison will want to have the option of playing with wingers next season, hence the arrival of Ollie Tanner, but it is unrealistic to expect an 18-year-old plucked from non-League to make a sustained impact during what will doubtless be a brutal maiden campaign in the Championship.
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Whyte, meanwhile, is 26, slap-bang in the middle of that age range Morison is trying to recruit, has many League One and even Championship games under his belt and is a crucial part of Northern Ireland's international set-up, scoring three goals in 20 appearances for his country.
Cardiff wanted more of an output from him in the final third and it is more than fair to say he has improved on that front. Whether he has the quality to make a real difference at Championship level is still the big question mark and no doubt Morison and his staff will be mulling over.
The player himself, who is also contracted until 2023, might even think it best for a fresh start elsewhere. The last time Whyte was asked about his future was in March, when he kept his cards extremely close to his chest, saying: "I haven’t really thought about it too much, I’m just taking it in the moment.
“I can’t really look too far ahead, I love being here and I just want to play as many games as I can until the end of the season. The reason I came here is because I loved it so much when I was first here. It’s a great club, great people, great fans and I felt at home when I first came here.”
There will, of course, be many moving parts for Cardiff in this transfer window. The futures of both Sang and Whyte might seem small fry at the minute, with so many other plates currently being spun, but they are nevertheless big calls which will have to be made shortly.
