The international transfer window closes in one week’s time, with Cardiff City still in need of attacking reinforcements.
Sheyi Ojo and Kieffer Moore have been drafted in this summer, but the No.10 position remains an issue that needs resolving, with Lee Tomlin yet to start this season.
Alternatively, Bluebirds boss Neil Harris has fielded Joe Ralls and Leandro Bacuna in the No.10 role, a relatively new role for the former despite his good form towards the end of last season and an unfamiliar one altogether for the latter.
In the opening three games of the season, only five teams in the Championship have taken fewer shots than Cardiff, who find themselves in 16th place. This suggests, creativity remains a problem, and with a week left of the window, requires a quick resolution.
Here are four players the Bluebirds could target in order to fill the gap at No.10.
Patrick Roberts – Manchester City
Something of a forgotten man, Patrick Roberts has been overlooked by every Championship side this summer and finds himself firmly on the fringes at Manchester City.
Last season the 23-year-old struggled to break into a settled Norwich City side in the Premier League but found some solace in the second half of the campaign with Middlesbrough.
Winning a penalty on his debut, before registering two assists and scoring once in just over 600 minutes represented a reasonable haul for a player out-of-form and struggling for fitness upon joining. Injury worries remain, but he is versatile and can play in the No.10 role or wide right.
The difference in stature between Moore and Roberts is considerable, but the diminutive creator – who created on average 2.8 chances per 90 for Middlesbrough – could prove to be an effective foil for the burly target man.
Roberts’ contract expires in 2022 and Manchester City may well accept a cut-price deal for the midfielder, and at the very least would welcome a loan offer.
Callum Styles – Barnsley
Another player of similar stature to Roberts, who shares a creative touch, is Barnsley’s Callum Styles. Having become more prominent in the first team under Gerhard Struber towards the end of last season, Styles played between a No.8 role and the No.10 position.
Despite scoring once in 17 outings and failing to register an assist, over the course of the season Styles averaged 2.4 chances created per 90.
Barnsley often cannot prevent bigger second-tier clubs coming in for their players – Cardiff being one of them. Should the Bluebirds come in with an offer, it is probable Styles would leave, especially given any fee would likely be affordable too.
Emile Smith Rowe – Arsenal
Arsenal prospect Emile Smith Rowe, 20, is a prodigious young player who impressed while on loan at Huddersfield Town last season. Having joined midway through the campaign, Smith Rowe added dynamism in spades to a turgid Terriers attack.
Smith Rowe is unlikely to break through into the Arsenal team this season, especially if they are successful in their pursuit of an additional midfielder with European pedigree.
That leaves him short on time to find a loan deal in the Championship – a level he is capable of playing at week-in, week-out – or face a year of under-23 football he has all but outgrown.
Statistically, Smith Rowe’s numbers with Huddersfield were encouraging, and he would offer a robustness which would complement Moore nicely too. Two assists, two goals and a penalty won in his time in West Yorkshire bodes well for a second potential loan spell in the second tier.
Nick Powell – Stoke City
A rather left-field suggestion to fill the No.10 spot on a regular basis could be Nick Powell.
Under Harris, an attacking duet consisting of Moore and Powell – both abrasive, physical players – could work, especially in this Cardiff team.
Powell, 26, was omitted from the Stoke City starting XI for the 1-0 win over Preston North End on Saturday but proved a useful player under Michael O’Neill in the second half of last season.
There would understandably be concerns over consistency, but with Cardiff’s style of play, Powell would be suited to battling every week, while providing the team with some much-needed creativity.
Any move for the former Manchester United youngster, who failed to deliver during his time at Old Trafford, would need to be a permanent switch due to Powell’s contract being in its final 12 months at the Bet365 Stadium. However, this does mean, he could be available for cheaper than his market value, which is certainly a positive.
The only drawback would likely be Powell’s wages , which are believed to be around the £15,000 per-week mark.
