There has been plenty of reason for excitement among Cardiff City supporters over the last week, with the club suddenly springing into action in the transfer market ahead of a hopeful push towards the play-offs in 2024/25.
The Bluebirds made two impressive acquisitions over the course of the weekend, signing Chris Willock and Calum Chambers on free transfers following their respective departures from QPR and Aston Villa. Exciting winger Willock directly addresses a key problem position from last term, while Chambers, who has made close to 200 Premier League appearances and three at senior level for England, represents undoubted top-level pedigree and significant reinforcement to Erol Bulut’s backline.
What’s more, Cardiff are understood to be close to acquiring a mystery third signing in the coming days and supporters will be waiting in eager anticipation for that additional reveal. It’s not yet clear who Cardiff’s likely third signing will be, but if anything, that has only added to the excitement humming around the Welsh capital at the minute.
Fans very much feel as though they’re in dreamland at the minute, and with good reason. So, with that in mind, Football League World has zoned in on two dream scenarios that supporters would simply love to see in what promises to be yet another exciting week at the club.
Abdelkahar Kadri signs for Cardiff City.
Cardiff have unsurprisingly registered an interest in Algerian playmaker Abdelkahar Kadri, who currently plies his trade with KV Kortrijk. The Belgian top-flight outfit are part of Vincent Tan’s business empire and Cardiff sent Sheyi Ojo, Isaak Davies and Ryotaro Tsunoda on loan there last season, meaning they were able to take a good look at Kadri while monitoring the development of the trio.
As reported by Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Bluebirds chairman Mehmet Dalman was involved in a meeting with Kadri last weekend. However, Tavolieri reports that even if the meeting had been positive, Kadri’s current priority isn’t to seal a move to Cardiff this summer.
Nonetheless, the deal cannot be ruled out completely just yet and Cardiff fans would be delighted to see the club secure such an ambitious signing, having been impressed by Kadri on many occasions last season when they were checking on Davies and Tsunoda.
A talented and technically-gifted midfielder, Kadri is a productive ball-carrier who offers the crucial creative threat that Cardiff have often missed in years gone by, and he’s been far and away Kortrijk’s best player over the last two seasons.
It would be perfectly understandable for the 24-year-old to have loftier ambitions than the Championship, but Cardiff can potentially provide a platform for him to graduate to Premier League football – perhaps with them – and have exhibited impressive pulling power beyond their perceived means over the last twelve months.
Make no mistake about it, signing Kadri would inspire euphoria among Cardiff fans, who were able to get yet another look at the midfielder as he impressed in City’s 3-1 pre-season friendly victory over Kortrijk on Saturday afternoon.
Ebou Adams signs for Derby County.
Due to torrid luck with injuries and a high managerial turnover at the Cardiff City Stadium – two managers had come and gone by the time Adams had recovered from a freak pectoral injury in his first pre-season with the club – it simply hasn’t worked out for the Gambian international midfielder after arriving from Forest Green Rovers in the summer of 2022.
After starting in the Championship on just three occasions throughout the first half of 2023/24, Adams enjoyed a new lease of life on loan with Derby County and helped Paul Warne’s side to automatic promotion from League One, instating himself as a firm fan favourite at Pride Park in the process.
He’s now back with Cardiff for now but is yet to feature in pre-season. Bulut admitted that he was left out of last Wednesday’s outing against Kidderminster Harriers due to the deal with Derby being close, and the 28-year-old was absent from the Kortrijk clash too.
