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Wales Online
Wales Online
Sport
Paul Abbandonato

Cardiff City fans deliver overwhelming verdict on out-of-contract stars they want Bluebirds to keep - and let go

Cardiff City fans want half of the senior stars out of contract this summer to remain with the club and lead a hoped-for top six push under Steve Morison next season, according to the results of a Wales Online survey.

But others who have been picks for key roles for the Bluebirds under various managers should be released as soon as their deals wind down and replaced with better players, you feel.

Morison will be tasked with a massive rebuilding job in the summer transfer window, with the futures of 10 players on the line and at the centre of everything he does in terms of the way forward for Wales' capital city club.

The men out of contract are goalkeeper Alex Smithies, centre-back trio Sean Morrison, Aden Flint and Ciaron Brown, midfield quartet Joe Ralls, Will Vaulks, Marlon Pack and Leandro Bacuna, plus almost forgotten front men Josh Murphy and Isaac Vassell.

We asked for the views of supporters in a survey as part of an article where our Cardiff City writers gave their own player-by-player take on who they felt should stay and who should go.

READ MORE: You can look at the verdict of our own Bluebirds expert writers here

For the latest Cardiff City news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox, you can sign up for our newsletter here.

Often with these kind of polls the results can prove somewhat mixed. But in this case the verdict on many of the players was quite overwhelming.

The player fans taking part in our survey most want to see kept on is Ralls, made skipper in Morrison's absence and who 95.5 per cent say needs to be offered a new deal.

Goalkeeper kingpin Smithies also received overwhelming backing, with almost 82 per cent calling on the Bluebirds Boards to strike a new deal with Cardiff's expert shot-stopper.

Others receiving the thumbs-up from fans are Flint, with 63.5 per cent saying keep him, Morrison (57.5 per cent) and Vaulks (62.5 per cent).

Of course, this needs to be cautioned against a backdrop of the Bluebirds' Board needing to make cutbacks - and also amid a clamour from many fans wanting classy new players brought on board this summer by boss Morison. There are calls from some for a new centre-half and one, if not two, new midfield aces.

Other positions also need to be bolstered, with a centre-forward the pressing priority, and possibly changes at full-back.

Given the financial constraints, that can't happen by retaining players in the same position who are said to be on big money, with Cardiff chief executive Ken Choo likely to be tasked with renegotiating terms.

However, according to those participating in our survey, there are a five players who the Bluebirds could ship out.

In the poll, only 1.6 per cent say Bacuna should be retained, with a whopping 98.4 per cent calling for his release.

Bacuna can be viewed as unfortunate in some ways, given he has often been deployed at right-back or in the front line, rather than in the central midfield role Neil Warnock felt he was best suited to.

Pack, who like Bacuna was a key player under Mick McCarthy and during Morison's early days in charge, had 90 per cent of the poll calling for his release.

The figures were large as well for Vassell (96.7 per cent wanting him to go), Brown (88.8 per cent) and Murphy (87.1 per cent).

Other than for Morrison, Flint and Vaulks, who each have a slightly more mixed backing albeit ones in favour of staying, the survey figures are quite stark.

Morison will need to work with Cardiff's hierarchy to assess which senior stars are best suited to taking this team to the next level and indeed which ones are affordable.

Cardiff have a crop of younger players around whom the future can be built - including Rubin Colwill, Isaak Davies, Joel Bagan, Ryan Wintle and Perry Ng - with Morison also hoping to bring back 20-year-olds Codey Drameh and Tommy Doyle next season.

There are also other talented Academy youngsters hoping for first team opportunities.

However, experience is also clearly required and Morison will work out how best to restructure his defence and midfield, with outgoings creating room for summer recruits, while a goalscoring centre-forward is an absolute must following Kieffer Moore's departure.

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