£6m Cardiff City gamble didn't work out as planned | OneFootball

Gary Madine's move to Cardiff City did not quite as planned, despite subsequent promotion for the Bluebirds.

Cardiff City were gunning for promotion in January 2018, with the Bluebirds locked in a race for the top two positions under Neil Warnock.

City were going well, but a difficult string of results over the winter period emphasised the need for a free-scoring and physical number nine to spearhead Warnock's attack for the remainder of the season.

Ultimately, Cardiff went to purchase Bolton's Gary Madine, who had found the back of the net 10 times for a struggling Wanderers side in the first half of the 2017/18 campaign.

For the eighth and final time, Warnock went on to achieve promotion. However, the £6 million gamble to bring Madine to the club did not go as planned for either the club or the player.

Gary Madine joined high-flying Cardiff City from Bolton Wanderers

The Bluebirds made a fantastic start to the 2017/18 term under Warnock, who took over at the club in October 2016.

His side secured a fantastic 2-1 away win against eventual champions Wolves to see City top the Championship after four matches.

By Christmas, Cardiff were sat prettily in second, three points clear of third-placed Derby County. The heartbeat of Cardiff under Warnock, though, was undoubtedly the defence, with the late Sol Bamba and Sean Morrison being flanked by Lee Peltier and Joe Bennett.

City played most of the campaign without a recognised number nine, so to speak, with converted full-back Callum Paterson or Kenneth Zohore often leading the line; the latter was far from a prolific goalscorer despite his presence up front, having previously been the side's star striker before enduring a dip in form and fortunes.

With a 10-point gap to leaders Wolves going into January, it looked to be a shootout for the second automatic spot between the Bluebirds, Derby and Bristol City, and Cardiff took to the transfer window in a bid to add goals to fire them to promotion.

Enter Gary Madine. After netting 10 times for a Bolton side entangled in a relegation battle, Cardiff went on to splash £6 million on the forward - the most significant transfer outlay since their first-ever Premier League season in 2013/14.

Cardiff themselves would go on to achieve their ultimate goal. However, things would not quite go as planned for Madine.

Gary Madine struggled despite Cardiff City's promotion

After a period outside the top two, Cardiff climbed back up into the automatic spots in mid-February, and would not relinquish the place for the remainder of the season.

Bristol City and Derby went on to drop out of the automatic race, but pressure from Fulham and Aston Villa arrived, with the former going on a sensational 23-match unbeaten run in the second half of the season.

However, Cardiff just knew how to win games; they would not buckle under the pressure.

Achieving a record eighth promotion, Warnock described the ascent as: "the best job I've ever done in my life in football," and it is easy to see why. No matter what was thrown at them, the Bluebirds didn't buckle under the pressure.

Madine, though, struggled to get going in South Wales, despite his side's form.

With 21 goals coming from Junior Hoilett and Callum Paterson, Madine failed to score for the Bluebirds as they went on to achieve promotion. And arguably his most significant moment in a City shirt came in a top-of-the-table showdown against Wolves.

With the visitors leading 1-0 thanks to a Ruben Neves free-kick, Madine saw a crucial last-minute penalty saved by John Ruddy, while Hoilett missed a subsequent second just moments later in one of the most dramatic periods of Championship football history.

Wolves went nine points clear at the top, while chasers Fulham sat just two points behind Cardiff. Madine's penalty, though, provided an unfortunate summary of his time at the club.

He went on to make 28 appearances in total for the club, including just five in the Premier League - failing to score a single goal throughout his time in South Wales. Cardiff would achieve promotion; however, it was Warnock's trusted group that saw the club flying high in the first place that would seal the deal.

Seen as the man to add the extra firepower, the £6 million gamble on Madine did not go as planned for all involved. He was loaned out to Sheffield United for the second half of the 2018/19 campaign, where he would score three times as the Blades ascended to the top flight.