Kieffer Moore signs: How Cardiff City's perfect 2024 summer transfer window surely looks | OneFootball

Football League World summarises a potentially perfect summer transfer window for the Bluebirds

Erol Bulut has a series of crunch decisions to make as he looks to navigate his first summer transfer window at the Cardiff City Stadium, which he will hope is the precursor to a sustained push towards the play-offs in 2024/25.

As ever, there are various fringe and loan players who require moves away on different terms to restart or accelerate their careers, which will no doubt form a part of the Turkish boss’ thinking.

More pressingly, though, will be the urgency of squad surgery during the off-season, with Cardiff City in dire need of bolstering numerous departments of the squad if they’re serious about competing for a stab at the top-six next term.

The past two transfer windows have been a crash course of challenges for the club, as they were under partial embargo last summer and had to completely abandon their plans days before deadline back in January owing to the EFL’s Profit and Sustainability (PSR) rules, which restricted them from landing lucrative targets.

Transfer windows are notoriously difficult by nature, but Cardiff are likely to meet fewer trials and tribulations this time around and there’s no real excuse for them to fail to address their wounds this summer.

Ahead of the upcoming campaign, we take a look at Cardiff’s perfect summer window could look like.

Adams enjoyed a fresh lease of life on loan at Derby County in the second half of last season, helping the Rams to achieve automatic promotion to the Championship.

The ex-Forest Green midfielder’s short but sweet spell in Derbyshire is at odds with his time at Cardiff to date, where he’s endured sore luck with injuries and has struggled to enforce himself in Bulut’s plans, too.

It’s no surprise that Derby are publicly eager to reunite with Adam’s on a permanent deal, and the general consensus is that he’ll be moving on this summer.

Out: Andy Rinomhota (transfer fee)

Another deep-lying Cardiff midfielder to head out on loan in January, Rinomhota’s time away from the club was nowhere near as fruitful as he was part of the Rotherham United side that were relegated with just 27 points.

He’s only made three Championship appearances under Bulut and feels equally, if not more, primed to depart in the coming weeks.

Out: Callum Robinson (transfer fee)

There’s a firmer division of opinion with Robinson however, who has more than 50 Championship goals to his name and was a vital contributor to Cardiff’s second-tier survival in 2022/23 by scoring five times and assisting a further six from 22 outings.

When fully fit and firing, Robinson is a real asset at this level but the discord between him and Bulut creates serious doubts over his immediate future in the Welsh capital, which could reach a frustrating conclusion this summer.

Many supporters still rightly harbour hope that the versatile forward can successfully bounce back from a disappointing campaign last time out, and he may just do that, but it’s important to note that he’s potentially competing with David Turnbull, Aaron Ramsey and perennial prospect Rubin Colwill for a starting berth in attacking midfield.

His Championship credentials mean that Cardiff could collect a fairly-decent sum, and there’s little indication that he’s going to move his way up in Bulut’s plans.

Without divulging into non-footballing matters too much, Cardiff supporters are understandably keen to see Romeo moved on after recent circumstances.

Whether he’s found to be in breach of contract is an internal matter, but those terms can’t be speculated too much and Romeo, who started on just eight occasions in the league last season, looks set to leave either way.

Out: Joel Colwill

Akin to older brother Rubin, the younger Colwill is also hoped to have a big future at the club but likely needs a loan in 2024/25 to realise that potential.

A deep-lying midfielder with the tactical technical nous to dictate the game and thrive in a possession-based system, Cardiff should be targeting those clubs in League One and League Two accordingly.

Out: Kion Etete

With only a year to run on his current deal, Etete finds himself in a potential last-chance saloon.

There’s certainly plenty of potential, but we’re yet to see consistent vindication of that and a loan move to League One for the former Tottenham Hotspur talent appears plausible, where a fresh contract could be forthcoming dependent on performance.

Now, for the incomings…

Cardiff’s interest in Moore is no secret, and they’ll be keen to finally strike a return for the towering frontman after he rebuffed their advances for Ipswich Town in January.

The Welsh international has been out of favour at Bournemouth for quite some time now, having failed to rekindle the same levels he displayed for Cardiff.

They need to be cautious of not placing all their eggs in one basket, but Moore will certainly be a target and with good reason.

In: Cody Drameh (free transfer)

There could be a series of renaissances at the club this summer, with former loan star Drameh also set to be a free agent after being believed to be rejecting a new contract at Leeds United.

Drameh’s stunning 2021/22 loan stint with the Bluebirds is not lost in the memory of supporters, who have clamored for a return almost ever since and will not be stopping anytime soon, especially if Perry Ng leaves

Given that possibility, but also Drameh’s undoubted quality, potential and status as a free agent, it feels a no-brainer from a Cardiff perspective.

In: Michal Helik

Cardiff will be in the market for a Nat Phillips replacement this summer and should look no further than Helik of Huddersfield Town.

A team who scored 20 goals from set plays signing a central defender who scored a whopping nine of his own - for a relegated team, no less - appears to be a match made in heaven.

Cardiff should lessen their untenable reliance on set-pieces somewhat, but it’s still a clear plus point that could yield further benefit by acquiring Helik, who is a formidable presence at both ends of the pitch and looks unlikely to be staying put with the Terriers in League One.