Vincent Tan must have these 5 managers on Cardiff City's radar as League One beckons | OneFootball

Football League World looks at five managers Vincent Tan should consider appointing at Cardiff City

Another summer of unsettling uncertainty awaits for Cardiff City, who are now all-but-set to suffer relegation to League One for the very first time since its inception more than twenty years ago.

Once again, they will be heading into the summer with an unclear managerial situation. Last summer, Erol Bulut - who was later sacked after leading Cardiff to the worst start to a league campaign in the club's history - eventually agreed a two-year contract, but only after weeks and weeks of deliberation and uncertainty.

This summer, a similar situation looms on the horizon. Omer Riza was unable to see out his contract which had been set to run until the end of the season and promptly received his marching orders in the wake of Cardiff's 2-0 defeat at Sheffield United on Good Friday, which extended their winless run to five matches.

They have now, however, gone six matches without winning after playing out a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to Oxford United on Easter Monday, which marked Aaron Ramsey's first game in charge on an interim basis, having been handed the job until the end of the season by Vincent Tan.

It's not yet entirely clear whether Ramsey, who is still under contract at Cardiff and also captains Craig Bellamy's Welsh national side, will be looking to get back on the pitch next term. With that in mind, and as Cardiff close in on sealing their fate and a dreaded return to the third-tier, Football League World has taken a look at five managers Tan must consider heading into the 2025/26 campaign.

Des Buckingham

A popular choice among supporters would be former Oxford head coach Des Buckingham, who has been out of work since his controversial dismissal from the Kassam Stadium earlier this season.

Buckingham guided the U's to a historic promotion back to the Championship via the play-offs last term, earning plaudits for his front-footed, attacking approach. That helped to get the very best out of two ex-Bluebirds in Mark Harris and Josh Murphy, of course.

The 40-year-old was reportedly courted for the Wales job last summer before Bellamy took the reins, and his appointment would likely be extremely well-received in the Welsh capital.

His style of play and ability to work with young players would surely appeal to both supporters and Cardiff's key decision-makers alike, and he has already shown he has what it takes to get out of League One.

Nathan Jones

Although Nathan Jones would represent, in many senses, a significant contrast to the appointment of somebody in the progressive mold of Buckingham, for example, he too has many backers in his corner and would be warmly-welcomed by many.

A boyhood Cardiff supporter who has made little secret of his eventual intentions to return to the club, Jones was linked to the job last year when Bulut was sacked. It never materialised, and Jones has spent the season leading Charlton Athletic on the march towards promotion.

The Addicks have been a force to be reckoned with following the turn of the year in particular and are still very much in the hunt for automatic promotion, sitting fourth at the time of writing with just two games to spare.

Of course, if Jones were to guide Charlton back to the Championship, Cardiff would stand next to no chance of bringing him back to South Wales. The ex-Luton Town and Southampton boss would command compensation, too, another caveat to consider, but he has proven himself to be a capable manager in the Championship, let alone in League One.

Jones is much more pragmatic than Buckingham, but would likely help to address the soft underbelly Cardiff have been guilty of having in years gone by, and particularly in the current campaign. He could be an extremely viable potential appointment for the Bluebirds to consider, if Charlton end up spending another season in League One.

Noel Hunt

Cardiff will likely be hoping their standing, pedigree and sure-fire promotion ambitions in the event of relegation to League One could tempt managers currently in charge of third-tier sides to jump ship, and with that in mind, Reading boss Noel Hunt represents another appealing candidate.

The former Republic of Ireland international stepped up to replace Ruben Selles at Reading back in December and, much like his predecessor, has performed an admirable job under extremely difficult circumstances. The Royals' turmoil away from the pitch at the hands of controversial chairman Dai Yongge is well-documented, of course, but Hunt has kept them in play-off contention following a strong start under Selles.

Hunt favours an attacking brand of football and also likes his Reading side, the youngest in League One by some distance, to play on the front foot and see most of the ball. Meanwhile, he has been able to operate under a challenging ownership regime.

The 42-year-old has excelled at the Select Car Leasing Stadium and would tick plenty of boxes.

David Wagner

David Wagner, on the other hand, has never previously managed in League One, but his pedigree above the level would make for an exciting appointment if Cardiff were able to pull it off.

The German manager, who most famously led Huddersfield Town to the Premier League in 2017 before securing survival in his first top-flight campaign against all odds, has been out of work for nearly a year after being sacked in the wake of Norwich City's play-off semi-final defeat to Leeds United.

Guiding the Canaries into the top-six, however, now looks a much better achievement considering that his successor, Johaness Hoff Thorup, was sacked this week after failing to propel the side above mid-table amid a miserable end-of-season run.

Wagner will surely be looking to return to management in the not-too-distant future and while it would come as no surprise to see a number of Championship clubs plotting off-season moves, the opportunity to help rebuild Cardiff could bring a big pull-factor.

Brian Barry-Murphy

Last but not least, Brian Barry-Murphy is a name that has frequently surfaced in online discourse whenever Cardiff have been on the hunt for a new man at the helm.

The former Manchester City academy coach is currently a first-team coach at relegation-bound Leicester City but, with Ruud van Nistelrooy's future very much up in the air, it's not yet clear whether Barry-Murphy will remain in the East Midlands beyond this summer.

Barry-Murphy's only senior managerial stint to date came with Rochdale between 2019 and 2021, but his time both with Dale and then coaching elite talent at Man City has helped to forge a burgeoning reputation.

Known for favouring a possession-based approach, Barry-Murphy's progressive style and proven track record of working with youth players mean he could, and perhaps should, be a top candidate.

Interestingly, Barry-Murphy was indeed linked with the job at Cardiff a few years ago and may well find himself back under consideration once again this summer.