After 51 years of trying, Cardiff City finally made to the promised land of the English top flight after storming their way to the Championship title. However, the celebrations of promotion were short lived, straight to work on staying in the Premier League next season.
Cardiff were incredibly efficient, they didn’t always produce the best style of football but they got the job done week in week out. Set pieces proved to be vital for Cardiff, lethal in the air, set pieces regularly won them points. Rumours have linked Joe Ledley with a return to the club, the current Celtic midfielder could prove to be a masterstroke in Cardiff staying in the Premier with his excellent crossing ability.
There is an absence of Premier League class to Cardiff, Craig Bellamy has the least to do in terms of adapting to the league. While the rest are pretty much new to the league. Kim Bo Kyung & Craig Noone have the class to adapt into established Premier League players, both added that extra bit of flair to Cardiff’s game. Peter Whittingham has been waiting a long time for his Premier League return, after departing Aston Villa has turned into the fundamental part of the Cardiff side, lifting them nearer to promotion season after season.
The lack of goalscorer could prove costly for Cardiff, the veteran forward Heidar Helguson was the top scorer last term with nine goals in all competitions. Fraizer Campbell is probably the most likely to chip in with the goals next season, however he has never particularly been lethal in the Premier League. Darren Bent has been rumoured as a potential target, his sharp eye for goal could prove to be Cardiff’s lifeline. Although it does probably depend on Aston Villa keeping hold of Christian Benteke.
Cardiff will very much have their manager at the start of the season, rumours had linked the Scotsman with the Everton job. He made it clear he was keen to stay with the Bluebirds: “I’m focused on what I’m doing at Cardiff. We’ve got a really busy time at the moment in terms of bringing players in, and the next couple of months are crucial for our team in terms of surviving in the Premier League.”
An ex defender, Mackay will know the importance of purchasing a quality centre back. Mark Hudson was quality last season, however he did have some significant injury problems. While Matthew Connolly & Ben Nugent are not quite Premier League quality. Ben Turner is probably the most likely to nail down a place in the team.
Cardiff will need to make major investment to retain their Premier League status. Following their Welsh counterparts Swansea could be advisable with too many clubs falling through the trap door following a disastrous campaign in the transfer market.