Kemar Roofe features: 2 free agents Cardiff City should still be looking to sign | OneFootball

Cardiff City will have to consult the free agent market if they want to add further fresh faces, but there are potential bargains to be found...

The opening four games of the 2024/25 Championship campaign have offered Cardiff City a harsh reality check following a positive summer transfer window laden with big-name arrivals.

Erol Bulut's side currently find themselves rock bottom of the division, having lost three of their first four encounters and scored just one goal. The mood at the Cardiff City Stadium, then, is very much dispirited as the expectations had been considerably higher heading into this season.

The Bluebirds utilised the free agent market by picking up the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Callum Chambers and Chris Willock. At face value, all three represent impressive free transfer captures for Championship level and Cardiff will be hoping the trio can get up to speed and inspire the team back up the table in the coming weeks.

But, of course, free agents can be acquired anytime and the opening throes of this season have illuminated the shortcomings that Cardiff had failed to address during the window. The market, it must be said, is somewhat more limited at this stage, although plenty of bargains and gambles worth taking still remain.

With that in mind, Football League World has decided to summarise two intruiging free agents who are available on the market and could be worth a punt for the Bluebirds...

Jérémy Livolant

With the aforementioned El Ghazi still getting up to speed after a near-year-long absence from playing, Cardiff are in dire need of fresh impetus on the right-hand side of their attack.

Yakou Meite has flattered to deceive this season and was not all that impressive last year either, in spite of his physical prowess. Ollie Tanner, meanwhile, can be a key difference maker but is perhaps more effective from the bench.

They need a right-sided winger who can drive forward at opponents with the ball, inject some much-needed directness, pace and purpose into a one-footed side and offer end product too, with Cardiff still looking sorely out of their depth whenever they attempt to close in on goal. Jérémy Livolant, then, ticks many of the boxes.

Livolant departed Bordeaux in the summer following their demotion to the third-tier of French football and was reportedlyclose to signing for Championship rivals Stoke City before an unspecified injury issue forced the Potters to pull the plug on the deal.

It is believed that Livolant is recovering from the setback but it is not yet clear just how close he is to making a full recovery, which of course would make any prospective move far from a guaranteed hit.

There are caveats, admittedly, but signing free agents is often a case of risk versus reward - and plenty goes in the favour of the 26-year-old. Most at home on the right side of a front three but capable playing anywhere across the frontline, Livolant made nine goal involvements in league action for Bordeaux in the previous season.

However, he really earned his stripes after scoring nine times and laying on a further ten assists for Ligue 2 outfit Guingamp in 2022/23. For that degree of pedigree to have availability as a free transfer is eye-catching to say the least.

Sure, he would almost certainly be with a new club were it not for injury, but in light of the current state of play at Cardiff, they could do much worse than rolling the dice and attempting a deal dependent on how soon the Frenchman will return to action.

Kemar Roofe

There are further risks represented with the theoretical acquisition of Kemar Roofe, who is also a free agent after his departure from Scottish side Rangers.

The striker rarely made it on to the pitch during his final two seasons at Ibrox and the unavoidable caveat is that, since the 2018/19 campaign, he has spent no less than 833 days sidelined. To save the maths, that equates to just over two years.

It is an almighty concern which is not all that easy to avoid. However, it is similarly difficult to ignore Cardiff's current striker situation.

Isaak Davies was poised to lead the line after a 12-goal haul on loan with KV Kortrijk last term but was struck down by a long-term injury alongside Kion Etete in pre-season, Wilfried Kanga is yet to hit the ground running following his arrival and has not yet appeared capable of doing so either, while Bulut simply does not seem to trust Callum Robinson despite appearing a man reborn over the summer and scoring his side's only league goal this season.

The old adage is that beggars cannot be choosers, and although Roofe is not the most appealing potential free agent for Cardiff to sign, they urgently need goals.

In contrast to Livolant, the 31-year-old is a household name to second-tier supporters after scoring 32 times and contributing 14 assists for Leeds United across three seasons prior to his 2019 switch to Anderlecht.

His track record shows there is definitely a player in there. Keeping Roofe fit is the issue, but say, for example, a one-year deal surely would not be the worst option. Cardiff could do much worse, that's for sure. That deal would effectively represent a stop-gap signing, which Roofe would sure to be at his age and in light of his injury history.

A fresh option would be offered to compensate for Davies' absence from the team until the Christmas period and Cardiff very much need that.

They did sign Roko Simic on deadline day, but he has immediately headed to Kortrijk for the season and will be hoping to replicate Davies' success out in Belgium. To have failed to sign another striker for the current season after Kanga is a real sticking point among supporters, and with good reason.

The Premier League loan market, where Cardiff have enjoyed great success, would have certainly been worth pursuing with more urgency and intent and the likes of Tom Cannon and Ali Al-Hamadi could well have proved great pickups, but they are left to scour for free agents if they want a new striker before January and Roofe may be their best option on a short-term basis.