Cardiff City should eye summer swoop for 10-goal Brighton ace amid Rubin Colwill exit fear | OneFootball

Cardiff City may need to replace Rubin Colwill this summer after suffering relegation to League One

As the search for a new permanent manager to succeed Omer Riza rumbles on in the wake of relegation to League One, Cardiff City will already have one eye on both incomings and outgoings as the Welsh club bid to return to the Championship at the very first time of asking in the 2025/26 campaign.

A squad littered with big names, or at least ones of a high profile by Championship standards, many of whom are on sizable salaries at a club believed to have had the division's seventh-highest estimated wage bill in 24/25, coupled with the natural decrease in revenue as a consequence of relegation, means that a range of departures from the Welsh capital are anticipated in the coming weeks and months.

Alongside those soon to be out of contract, such as Anwar El Ghazi, Yakou Meite and Jamilu Collins, many more will be expected to head out the exit door before September. Cardiff may naturally fear losing star striker Yousef Salech, who only joined in January but scored eight Championship goals and will surely have no shortage of admirers, while the likes of Alex Robertson and Cian Ashford also represent prized assets worth retaining for the third-tier campaign.

Another departure, however, could be Rubin Colwill, and Cardiff would be well-served by running the rule over potential replacements.

Cardiff City's Rubin Colwill transfer exit fear

Colwill was linked to both Ipswich Town and Arsenal last summer and reportedly has interest from a number of unnamed Championship clubs looking to seek out his valuation ahead of a potential move.

It will be interesting to see who exactly those suitors are, should that reveal emerge, although it's really no surprise to see evident courtship for his signature.

The mercurial playmaker, who graduated from Cardiff's youth system to force his way into the first-team reckoning under Mick McCarthy in the 2020/21 term, has now chalked up more than 150 appearances for his boyhood club at the age of 23.

48 of those came in the most recent campaign as he became a regular starter, predominantly under Riza, for the very first time in his career, returning five goals and four assists across all competitions in what was a mixed season for the nine-cap Welsh international.

Undeniably talented, Colwill divides opinion like no other among supporters. For some, Colwill is a uniquely-gifted maverick of sorts with a real X-Factor edge to his game, and has been let down by a litany of managers falling short of knowing how best to utilise his talents, while others will contend that he has been far, far too inconsistent from far, far too many opportunities in spite of his ability, which, on its own, remains in little doubt whatsoever.

Whatever side of the fence you sit on, though, the matter remains that Colwill has admirers and further interest could only be generated as we edge closer to the summer transfer window. Cardiff, then, must have a contingency.

Cardiff City should eye Brighton's Kamari Doyle amid Rubin Colwill exit fear

Recruiting League One experience ought to be a call of duty of Cardiff's key decision-makers as they assess a squad with very limited nous and familiarity with English football's third-tier.

It's not yet clear what Cardiff's budget could look like - one may suspect it will outstrip many of their new divisional peers - but either way, the loan market invariably represents a potentially fruitful avenue to explore. With that in mind, Cardiff should be looking to test the waters with a deal for Brighton and Hove Albion prospect Kamari Doyle, who enjoyed an impressive campaign on loan in League One with both Exeter City and Crawley Town.

The former Southampton prodigy, still aged just 19, scored three times for Exeter in the first-half of the season before heading out to Crawley, where he excelled. In just 21 matches, Doyle racked up seven goals and four assists from midfield and while he was unable to prevent Crawley's relegation to League Two, he did more than enough on an individual level to place himself in good stead moving forwards.

Doyle, of course, is still some way off competing for a first-team spot at Brighton, whom he joined from Southampton just last summer, so it is likely that the Seagulls will have designs on sealing a fresh, season-long loan switch to further his progression. Judging by his displays for Crawley in particular, a move to a top-end League One club, or perhaps even one in the Championship would appear the next natural course of action, and Cardiff should be taking a real interest if Brighton give the green-light for him to exit once more.

A technically-gifted midfielder with a keen eye for goal, Doyle is a high-volume shooter and has the creativity to open up defences and break lines, too. He is comfortable playing in holding midfield or further forward as a number 10, which would make him a like-for-like replacement for Colwill if he does indeed depart.

Doyle stood out in a side which was relegated, which makes you wonder exactly how far he could go as part of a squad widely expected to be competitive at the right end of League One next time out. Cardiff, perhaps regardless of Colwill's future in all fairness, should be looking to find that out for themselves - though a departure would only naturally amplify the need for a pursuit.