What Nathan Trott has said about sealing permanent Cardiff City transfer - Vincent Tan may have easy decision to make | OneFootball

Nathan Trott has shone for Cardiff City on loan from Copenhagen, with the Bluebirds holding an option to make his stay permanent if promoted

Cardiff City have enjoyed strong early-season success in League One after suffering relegation from the Championship, with the Bluebirds hitting the reset button under popular head coach Brian Barry-Murphy and representing a side capable of going all the way after 12 matches.

At the time of writing, the Bluebirds are sitting atop the League One table ahead of Saturday's lunchtime trip to seventh-placed Bolton Wanderers, having made a considerably stronger start to life in English football's third-tier than fellow freshly-relegated pair Luton Town and Plymouth Argyle - who both finished above them in the Championship, it's worth pointing out.

Although frailties have emerged in recent weeks, the crux of Cardiff's encouraging form has been underpinned by defensive solidity and, in particular, the consistently-excellent performances from one of just three summer acquisitions in loanee goalkeeper Nathan Trott.

Eight matches were required before Cardiff let in an open play goal, and they have conceded the second-fewest goals in League One with 10, while conceding the joint-fewest per match with 0.80 and keeping the joint-most clean sheets with six.

The Bluebirds have conceded an xG of 16.4, which shows that top-quality chances are being afforded to opponents. However, Trott has been a continued lifeline between the sticks with the most goals prevented in League One (4.70), the highest save percentage (80%) and the second-most saves per 90 minutes (3.30). The West Ham United academy product notably came up trumps to spare Cardiff's blushes in victories over Reading, Luton Town and AFC Wimbledon, and has established himself as a firm favourite among City supporters.

What Nathan Trott has said about sealing potential permanent Cardiff City transfer from Copenhagen

Acquired on loan from Danish giants Copenhagen, Trott arrived in the Welsh capital as something of an unknown quantity. In that deal, however, a reported option-to-buy clause is available for Cardiff on the condition of promotion back to the Championship, which, if activated, would cost Barry-Murphy's side just £1.57 million.

That fee, at this moment in time, would represent something of a bargain for Trott's services, with the Bermudan-born shot-stopper evidently classes above League One and more-than-capable of holding his own in the Championship — should Cardiff get there, of course.

And Trott, for the first time, has opened up on the possibility of signing for Cardiff on a permanent basis. Speaking to Danish outlet Tipsbladet, the 26-year-old described how Cardiff's current fortunes would make a full-time agreement "make sense" — and you do get the impression that, if the Bluebirds gain promotion, a fresh deal feels inevitable.

Trott explained: "You never know how things will turn out, but if we get promoted, there’s a possibility I could be bought, and if everything continues as it is, it would make sense for me to continue in the environment where I have developed so much.

"But we’ll have to see what happens, and I’m not really focused on that right now."

Vincent Tan has simple Cardiff City, Nathan Trott transfer decision to make on promotion condition

Cardiff would seemingly have little chance of completing a permanent deal for Trott if they fail to get out of League One at the very first time of asking, with the player in question surely poised to set his sights higher than third-tier football heading into the 2026/27 campaign.

However, Cardiff are well-placed to achieve promotion right now, and if they do, sanctioning the funds to sign Trott permanently has to be an immediate priority for owner Vincent Tan.

Still aged just 26, Trott remains relatively young in goalkeeping terms and could yet get much better.

His sharp shot-stopping abilities have bailed Cardiff out on more than one occasion and would only be even more important in the Championship, whereas his excellent distribution and press-resistance — honed by playing outfield until the age of 14 — are key to Barry-Murphy's philosophy of dominating possession and playing out from the back.

The term 'no-brainer', then, comes to mind with the possibility of sealing a permanent move for Trott, who will undoubtedly play a starring role if promotion is indeed achieved.