Vincent Tan slammed for 'bizarre transfer' as £1.7m Cardiff City man seals new exit | OneFootball

Roko Simic, who cost Cardiff City £1.7 million two summers ago, has left for Magdeburg on loan

The two summer transfer windows at Cardiff City under Brian Barry-Murphy have been quiet, and, as frustrating as that may be, Bluebirds fans are reminded that things have been much worse in the recent past.

Indeed, only three signings have been made this summer in the Welsh capital, and two of those, Nathan Trott and Calum Scanlon, spent time on loan at Cardiff during their promotion campaign last season.

So, technically, it's just one new face, backing up the three signings they made last summer ahead of their third-tier return. In comparison, there were eight new arrivals in the summer of 2024.

Ultimately, though, it was a bit of a scattergun approach. Some worked out, like Alex Robertson and Will Fish, but others, such as Roko Simic, are being filed under the 'worst transfer in club history' catagory, especially after now being loaned out to FC Magdeburg in a deal that could see him leave permanently without making a single senior appearance for Cardiff.

Cardiff City fan pundit explains reasoning behind "bizarre" Roko Simic signing

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Simic arrived from RB Salzburg for a reported £1.7 million two summers ago, signing a four-year deal, but was immediately loaned out to sister club KV Kortrijk in Belgium. But it was evident that the Croatian frontman wasn't at that level, with his loan deal being cut short after four appearances.

Simic spent last season on loan in the German second tier with Karlsruher, but made just 12 starts and played fewer than 1,000 minutes. Now, he's back at that level again with Magdeburg, and FLW's Cardiff fan pundit, Matt Hall, is looking forward to seeing the back of him.

"He's probably one of the most bizarre transfers we've had," he said. "I think you have to put it next to Ryotaro Tsunoda, who signed from...actually I don't know, and that says a lot. He didn't actually feature for us either."

Signing a promising young player from a European league and sending them immediately out on loan to a club under the same ownership isn't an alien idea in football; just look at Chelsea.

But the fan pundit doesn't think that enough thought went into the process, and that's due to the lack of "footballing people" on the board at the Cardiff City Stadium.

"I think there were good intentions behind it, going for club signings, players who are talented who can be sold on," he continued. "But to do that without the football experience in the hierarchy was naive beyond belief.

"The reason why it works for other clubs is because of the expertise and the analytics that they have, so to think that they could just scout Europe and pluck players out with the hope that they'd develop without that expertise is just an indictment on how poor the footballing people, or lack of footballing people, we have on the board."

Cardiff City fan pundit praises Brian Barry-Murphy for smart dealings in the transfer window

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While there may be some groans about the perceived lack of activity in the transfer window at Cardiff in the last 12 months, there's no doubting that the players who have come in have been useful and have made an impact.

Trott was one of the best goalkeepers in League One last season, while Gabe Osho and loan sensation Omari Kellyman contributed largely to their success. Liverpool loanee Scanlon didn't play much in the second half of the year after arriving in January, but has already started both Championship games this season.

Meanwhile, Jack Moylan looks bright and ready to continue the momentum he generated with Lincoln City last year.

Hall feels that the more astute business is a result of Barry-Murphy being in charge, and there's no danger of a signing like Simic being made while the Irishman is in the dugout.

"Obviously, it says a lot that BBM has come in, a man with actual football intelligence, and has put a stop to that straight away," the fan pundit continued. However boring or frustrating this window has been, none of this is happening anymore.

"It's bizarre, and I feel with Roko Simic, you don't even know what level he's actually at, because no one wants to give him the opportunity at Cardiff anymore. He may get the odd 21s appearance, but he doesn't even get a kick in there; it's a very odd situation.

"But we wish him well; hopefully he smashes it in the German second tier and smashes it so much that they can trigger the option to buy him, and we never have to talk about him again!"

Cardiff City can't wait to close the door on Roko Simic's chapter in South Wales

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Simic arrived in Cardiff with some promise. He was a useful squad member in the 2023/24 campaign for RB Salzburg, where they netted 74 times as a team across 32 games. He also scored in the UEFA Champions League against Benfica.

However, when you're immediately loaned out, it's hard to really stake your claim for a place in the side. You can come back to a different manager and set-up from the one that brought you to the club in the first place.

And, with the number of teenagers and players in their early twenties taking to the Championship, if you aren't deemed good enough to play then, it brings into question why £1.7 million was spent in the first place.

In the end, Simic wasn't good enough to play regularly in Turkey, and it's been downhill from there. As Hall said, Cardiff fans can't wait to be rid of him entirely, to forget his time at the club completely.