Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand | OneFootball

Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand | OneFootball

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Football League World

·15 September 2024

Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Football League World takes the look at the 15 Cardiff City players set to see their deals expire in 2025...

As things currently stand, Cardiff City are set to lose a clutch of key assets on free transfers by the time next summer rolls around and they are yet to act upon renewal.


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At the end of the previous campaign, the Bluebirds were fortunate in the sense that those coming to the end of their deals were, by and large, fringe players at best.

With the likes of Romaine Sawyers and Sheyi Ojo, their futures had appeared a foregone conclusion and there was nothing in the way of surprise when they were released by the club.

However, Cardiff now have no less than 15 players nearing the end of their contracts. Of course, time is very much on the club’s side, although they will be losing some key faces if they fail to take action.

Football League World has decided to take a look at the players out of contract next summer, their current situations, and whether they can be expected to stay on at the Cardiff City Stadium...

Dimitrios Goutas

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

The towering Greek defender signed for Cardiff last summer and is approaching the latter stages of the two-year contract he penned with the Bluebirds upon arrival.

Goutas played more minutes for Cardiff than anyone else last season, underlining his importance. He has just slipped ever so slightly down the pecking order, though, and Cardiff are evidently looking at the bigger picture by signing younger central defenders in Will Fish and Jesper Daland.

He will turn 31 come April, and it would be fair to say that this one hangs very much in the balance at this stage.

Anwar El Ghazi

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Anwar El Ghazi was among a series of high-profile recruits made by Cardiff in a generally ambitious window, signing a one-year contract after not playing football for nearly twelve months.

The two-cap Netherlands international is still some way off optimal match fitness. There are, of course, plenty of moving parts and questions to be asked.

Should El Ghazi fail to rekindle the levels he previously displayed with Aston Villa in the Championship then it would be hard to envisage Cardiff keeping him on.

However, if he eventually hits the ground running, he would be well within his right to fancy his chances back in a top flight league again. Either way, it seems hard to deliver a definitive judgment just yet and only time will tell on how his situation pans out.

Callum Robinson

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

After previously appearing poised to depart over the summer following a selection of notable disagreements with Erol Bulut, Callum Robinson is now on a mission to rescue his Bluebirds career.

Undeniably talented and with more goals and assists at Championship level than anyone else at the club, the versatile forward scored six times across pre-season.

He is yet to displace Wilfried Kanga from the starting lineup, which is one of many sticking points supporters currently have with Bulut amid a torrid start to the new campaign, but his goal against Swansea City pre-international break may bring more opportunities.

Robinson is certainly worth keeping on beyond his current contract, though, and he deserves the opportunity to show why that is the case.

Callum O’Dowda

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Cardiff simply cannot allow Callum O’Dowda to leave the club when his deal runs out next year.

The Republic of Ireland international was hampered by injuries last season and Cardiff sorely felt his absence. His versatility, energy and directness up and down the left-hand side gives their often one-footed attack a fresh sense of dimension and dynamism.

Losing him for free, then, would be a huge disappointment.

Yakou Meite

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Yakou Meite is also set to see his deal reach its conclusion next summer, and it is not yet clear whether Cardiff will be looking to extend his stay in South Wales.

The ex-Reading flyer is a real favourite of Bulut's, who has elected to start him over the likes of El Ghazi and Ollie Tanner thus far.

However, for all his graft, endeavour and athleticism, Meite simply has not provided the firepower which was expected, scoring just twice from 38 Championship appearances last season.

Cardiff may need to look in a new direction at the end of the season, although much will likely hinge on whether Bulut remains in the dugout by then.

Isaak Davies

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Cardiff were dealt a significant blow in pre-season when Isaak Davies picked up an injury which will keep him out until December at least.

The academy product had been primed to lead the line this term following a 12-goal haul on loan with sister club KV Kortrijk last time out.

They will hope that he can make a full recovery and pick up where he left off in the second half of the season, with the Bluebirds' poor form infront of goal carrying over into the current campaign.

Still just 22 years of age, Davies is a precocious talent who can make a real impact at Championship level. The striker is excellent at leading the press, running the channels and getting in behind and Cardiff know all too well of the vast potential he has.

All things considered, it would be a real shock if Davies ended up leaving next summer, where his deal is currently set to expire.

Joe Ralls

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Undoubtedly the most nailed-on to extend his stay with Cardiff, Joe Ralls has spent his entire career at City barring a loan spell with Yeovil Town in the 2013/14 season.

Of course, the midfielder also captains the Bluebirds and looks set to see out his career at Cardiff at the age of 30. Cardiff are believed to have the option to activate a one-year extension on Ralls' contract.

Kion Etete

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

On the other hand, it does appear as though Kion Etete's time with the club may be drawing to a close as he nears the end of his contract.

Signed on a three-year deal from Tottenham Hotspur two summers ago, the striker has scored just nine goals from more than 60 appearances and saw his chances of renewal dashed somewhat when he too sustained a long-term injury in pre-season.

Etete finds himself behind Kanga, Robinson, Davies and perhaps even new signing Roko Simic - who is at Kortrijk for the season but can be recalled - in the pecking order, which means there will likely be limited opportunity for him to stake a claim in regards to earning a new deal.

Aaron Ramsey

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Veteran midfielder Aaron Ramsey remains a pivotal part of Bulut's thinking, but there is real division among supporters when it comes to assessing his future with the club.

The former Arsenal star, who now captains the Wales national side, returned to his boyhood club last summer and instantly hit the ground running by scoring three times in six outings, but injuries have again proved to be his kryptonite.

Ramsey missed almost the entirety of his first season back in Wales and has struggled to meet the intensity of the Championship thus far, controversially being preferred to mercurial playmaker Rubin Colwill - 11 years his junior.

He will celebrate his 34th birthday before the year is up and may eventually need to listen to his body and, most likely, hang up his boots at this stage.

Colwill is quite possibly Cardiff's most talented operator right now and should really be starting over the aging star, but Ramsey could still have something to give.

Ramsey's contract is up next summer, although there are suggestions that the club have the option to extend his stay.

Jamilu Collins

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Left-back Jamilu Collins was set to see his deal expire in the summer, but the club acted on a one-year extension clause to retain him until 2025.

The Nigerian international tends to divide opinion in South Wales but once again, Bulut is a fan.

However, he is another player sidelined with injury for the time being and will find himself playing for a new deal once he is back in action, providing O'Dowda can be displaced.

Andy Rinomhota

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Andy Rinomhota is approaching the end of his three-year contract with the club, and it had felt as though he was going to leave this summer after a brief loan spell with Rotherham United.

However, Bulut elected to let Ryan Wintle, Ebou Adams and Eli King exit across the summer months and has placed some faith in Rinomhota.

Whether he receives the chance to vindicate the club's decision, though, is another matter entirely.

The former Reading midfielder has impressed in EFL Cup showings but is behind Manolis Siopis, Alex Robertson and Ralls in the pecking order when it comes to league action.

Once more, his future is up for debate and Cardiff should not yet rush into a decision either way.

Jak Alnwick

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

Jak Alnwick has less than a year to run on his current terms, but it does feel difficult to see him staying on as things stand.

The 31-year-old shot-stopper is playing second-fiddle to Ethan Horvath at the minute and is more than good enough to play first-team football elsewhere, which he may well decide to pursue if he fails to force his way back in between the sticks.

Raheem Conte

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

There was a strong element of surprise when Cardiff decided to send Raheem Conte on loan to National League outfit Woking, with many supporters rightly attesting that the versatile right-sided operator is capable of cutting his trade at third-tier level or even remaining as part of Bulut's squad.

Conte emerged as a breakout star for Cardiff at the end of the previous season and has impressed at first-team level when given the opportunity.

They took action to hand him a fresh one-year extension with the option of a further year earlier in the summer, and supporters will hope his stint away from the club does not spell the end of his Cardiff career.

The 22-year-old winger has talent and a big future on the horizon, so Cardiff would do well to activate that extension clause at some stage this term.

Kieron Evans

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

The state of play is broadly similar with academy graduate Kieron Evans, who was sent on his fourth loan spell away from Cardiff in as many years by joining neighbors Newport County in the summer.

Evans' move down the road came after agreeing a fresh one-year contract with an extension option.

Diminutive and direct, Evans is a real pocket rocket who can cause serious problems with his pace and ball-carrying ability - and supporters have also questioned why he was not kept around.

Unfortunately for the winger, though, he clearly does not score well in Bulut's long-term thinking.

It would come as no shock, then, to see Cardiff activate that extension before looking to cash in on Evans, who would represent optimal profit as a product of their youth set-up.

Wilfried Kanga

Article image:Aaron Ramsey features: These 15 Cardiff City players will leave at the end of 2024/25 as things stand

The last inclusion to round off this list is something of a bonus one, with Kanga representing Cardiff's sole loan acquisition of the summer window.

The striker was brought in from Hertha Berlin to address the Bluebirds' perennial woes infront of goal but has thus far failed to get going.

Make no mistake about it, Kanga will really have to pick up in the coming weeks and months to convince Cardiff to consider turning the move into a permanent one at the end of the season.

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