How Cardiff City could free up £33.4k on their wage bill in January | OneFootball

FLW looks at three cost-cutting exercises which could make room in the squad and free up funds for Cardiff City in January

Cardiff City are under significant pressure to conduct their January transfer business effectively after an underwhelming summer window, which has led to the club's third battle against relegation to League One in the last four years.

Results largely haven't gone Cardiff's way this term, though the state of play off-the-pitch is arguably even more concerning amid growing fan discontentment towards controversial owner Vincent Tan alongside chairman Mehmet Dalman and CEO Ken Choo.

The trio, who are at the heart of Cardiff's transfer decisions, are now under pressure to get it right next month with scarce margin for error, and supporters will want to see new and exciting additions after such a miserable first-half of the season.

But Cardiff first need to free up space in the squad and bring money in, both of which could be done by sanctioning these three exits next month.

Ending Wilfried Kanga's loan spell

The first call of duty for Cardiff next month is surely going to be a conclusion of Wilfried Kanga's disastrous loan spell with the club, which has already been described as a possibility by Omer Riza.

Kanga, who arrived on loan in the summer from Hertha Berlin, is yet to open his account for Cardiff and has been used sparingly by Riza since his appointment - initially on an interim basis - back in September.

The 26-year-old isn't getting much game time, but when he is coming on off the bench, he's still failing to make an impact and has been the subject of significant supporter criticism in recent months.

According to Capology, a site which provides estimated player salaries and is the source of information for all listed figures in this article, Kanga is earning a weekly wage of £16,500. It's unclear just how much of that wage is being covered by Cardiff, although you would imagine the Bluebirds are paying a fair chunk.

That's not an insignificant amount of money for a Championship player to be taking home on a weekly basis, especially when you consider the likes of Chris Willock, Perry Ng, Callum O'Dowda, Alex Robertson, Rubin Colwill and Alex Robertson are all estimated to be earning less.

Cardiff can easily get up to £16,500 off the books come the turn of the year on Kanga alone, and doing so feels like a no-brainer.

Jamilu Collins exit

Moving on, it's hard to completely rule out a January departure for Jamilu Collins.

The Nigerian international was an ever-present under Erol Bulut last term but has been out of favour following the appointment of Riza, who has seldom called upon his services.

He's made only a handful of appearances under Riza and has often missed out on matchday squads, having effectively slipped to third-choice in the pecking order behind Joel Bagan and Callum O'Dowda.

Collins is out of contract at the end of the season and renewal isn't currently resembling a likely and realistic prospect, so Cardiff could be looking to sound out potential offers at a discounted price next month in a bid to clear off his wages. He's not getting any younger at 30 and needs to be playing regular football, which just can't be promised at Cardiff right now, so you would imagine both parties may be keeping an open mind towards the exit door.

Collins' wages aren't significant in comparison to other earners on the Bluebirds' wage bill. Capology estimates that Collins is earning a weekly wage of £10,000, though every little helps and that could still free up space for a young Premier League loanee to arrive, for example.

The challenge may well be finding a buyer willing to stump up a transfer fee with months remaining on his contract and the likelihood of being able to attain him for nothing in the summer, but if the right club comes about with the right price, Collins' wages could also be off the books before long.

Kion Etete exit

Lastly, Kion Etete's immediate future remains up in the air.

The former Tottenham Hotspur prospect has dealt with injury-related setbacks since joining from the North London side in the summer of 2022, but he's not been all that prolific when he has been on the pitch either.

Etete has scored three league goals apiece in each of his two full seasons in South Wales, but he's yet to kick a ball in anger this term after being struck down with a serious hamstring injury in pre-season.

The 23-year-old, who has been linked with a potential move to League One side Huddersfield Town, is currently set to see his contract expire in the summer just like Collins, although his age brings potential future upside for Cardiff to consider at the very least.

The best way to do that may be by getting him out on loan, but that's going to depend on if Cardiff manage to bring in a striker or two in January. Etete isn't a high earner and he's earning a weekly wage of just £6,923, as per Capology, but if he isn't going to get a look-in under Riza then the Bluebirds could do with clearing those funds off, too.

It's unlikely they would find a club willing to front the entirety of his salary with just months to go on his contract, but they could quite easily have a team paying off most of that as they continue to run the rule over him - though they could look to get what they can by sanctioning a permanent exit, too.

His future does feel very uncertain at the minute, that's for sure.