Cardiff City should plot Ipswich Town transfer - Kieran McKenna may sanction exit | OneFootball

Cardiff City should be plotting a move for Ipswich Town midfielder Cameron Humphreys in the January transfer window.

The January transfer window may well remain some way away just yet but Cardiff City should already be looking ahead to it and should be plotting a transfer raid on Championship promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town.

Cardiff were relegated from the Championship last season and then embarked upon a quiet summer transfer window that only saw them bring in a few players to supplement a young core with a few experienced names. The focus, of course, was on retaining prized assets such as Rubin Colwill, Alex Robertson and Yousef Salech, with Omari Kellyman, Gabriel Osho and Nathan Trott representing the only acquisitions from the summer.

Brian Barry-Murphy was tasked with moulding the potential of Cardiff’s abundance of talented youngsters into a team that could mount a serious promotion challenge in League One this season.

It was certainly a risk but it meant that, should the gamble pay off, then by the time January comes around, Cardiff wouldn’t have to transform themselves but simply use whatever budget could have been available in the summer to slightly tweak or add to what is already a strong core that needs a little extra.

Results have been a bit more inconsistent in recent weeks with defensive frailties emerging, but, overall, it has indeed begun very well for Barry-Murphy and the Bluebirds. And so, with a couple of extra additions, it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see them even romp to the title in the second-half of the campaign – and Cameron Humphreys would be the perfect fit.

Ipswich Town's Cameron Humphreys would be ideal for Cardiff City

Last season, Cameron Humphreys joined Wycombe Wanderers on a season-long loan deal and he formed a key part of the Chairboys side that were top of the league, ahead of eventual record breakers Birmingham City, as late into the season as New Year’s Day before the departure of Matt Bloomfield to Luton Town.

Humphreys, capable of playing in the Bloomfield-preferred passing style, setting attacks up and almost being the tempo setter of the side, is also a natural defensive midfielder with excellent tenacity and industry, matched by a desire for a tackle.

Cardiff have a strong squad but the positions in which they perhaps lack the most after a focus on their academy would be in that defensive and central midfield positions.

Ryan Wintle is there and he has done a very good job with David Turnbull a part of the squad but not necessarily suited to that position nor the exact style of Barry-Murphy.

The lack of that profile of midfielder has actually seen Barry-Murphy often opt for a more disjointed 4-1-4-1 shape when a 4-2-3-1 would surely be more suitable, with Joel Colwill often having to play out of position in a deeper role to accommodate that system.

Cardiff do, of course, have the aforementioned Robertson in the ranks, although the classy Australian international - who previously established himself as one of League One's top midfielders when on loan at Portsmouth two seasons ago - is yet to feature this term owing to injury setbacks and a subsequent struggle to match Barry-Murphy's high-intensity training demands upon recovery, leaving City somewhat light and without guile, progression and dynamism in the middle of the park.

Humphreys is the ideal profile for that position and has the pedigree, too, being able to bring his own experience of relative third-tier success to further bolster his own career and Cardiff’s ambitions.

Cardiff City would be the best landing spot for Ipswich Town's Cameron Humphreys

At the age of 21, Humphreys is someone who also suits the profile of Cardiff’s project and squad at the moment, especially under the management of Barry-Murphy.

He has undoubted quality and it wouldn’t even be a surprise to see him earn a Championship move but the depth at Ipswich Town has made things hard for him as the Tractor Boys try and win the second-tier title this season.

Humphreys, who has made 39 first-team appearances for Ipswich and was a part of the squads that won both League One and Championship promotion in recent seasons, is out of contract at Portman Road in the summer and is unlikely to get too much game time to show Kieran McKenna and the club’s hierarchy that he remains someone they could persist with a new deal.

Therefore, whether it be on a permanent basis or another loan to showcase his ability, finding a route out of Suffolk come the turn of the year could be crucial for Humphreys.

If that was to be the case then the style of football, current level and overall ambition of Cardiff appear a perfect fit for both parties in the second-half of this season at least.