Cardiff City should consider £0 swoop for ex-Newcastle United player – He would fix weak link | OneFootball

Cardiff City should seek to bring in depth and experience in defence with the signing of former Newcastle United left-back Jamal Lewis.

Following their relegation from the Championship last season, it has been a remarkable turnaround in the mood at the Cardiff City Stadium, with the Bluebirds flying high in League One.

The disconnect between the supporters and the club at the end of last season was clear to see and appeared to be a long way from being fixed, but the bold and risky appointment of former Rochdale boss Brian Barry-Murphy seems to have been an inspired decision.

The Northern Irishman, who has been coaching within the Manchester City academy setup, has taken to his role with aplomb, and it is a role that is high pressure and extremely demanding, given the expectations and size of Cardiff.

A lack of summer transfer business appeared to be another sign of a club not yet organised enough and on the decline, but now, a month into the campaign, the little business that has been done appears to have all been a part of a masterplan.

One area of the squad that does remain thin, though, is at left-back, and it is an area of the pitch that could be covered off outside of the transfer window with a move for former Newcastle United defender Jamal Lewis.

Jamal Lewis would be the ideal fit for Cardiff City at left-back position

27-year-old Jamal Lewis has endured a frustrating few years on the pitch, with the Norwich City academy graduate having fallen well out of favour at Newcastle.

Having arrived at St. James’ Park in the summer of 2020 for a fee believed in the region of £15 million, Lewis made 24 Premier League appearances for the club in his first season on Tyneside.

After that, he made just seven more appearances in the top-flight for the Magpies before his release this summer, following loan spells at Watford in the Championship and then with Brazilian giants Sao Paulo last year.

The 39-cap Northern Ireland international is yet to find a club this summer, but the ideal fit could well see him dropping down into League One, with a view to reigniting his career and being a part of a potentially very exciting project.

Lewis is someone who has been criticised for the defensive side of his game, with his ability to get forward often praised, and his ability on the ball perhaps his best attribute.

In a style of football implemented by Barry-Murphy that is heavily possession-focused, Lewis would likely thrive, whilst also being able to provide a major threat going down the left-hand side, with Cardiff liking and likely to dominate the middle of the park, and perhaps requiring points of difference on the flanks.

Joel Bagan has done an excellent job so far this season, but he is the only senior left-back at the club, and Lewis’ arrival would surely only be welcomed by everyone and anyone at City.

Jamal Lewis would provide Cardiff City with experience - it could be helpful in League One promotion push

Barry-Murphy has done an excellent job at reconnecting the fanbase with the players, and a large part of that has been making supporters fall in love with the abundance of young talent that has come through the academy.

The likes of the Colwill brothers, Rubin and Joel, as well as Bagan, Cian Ashford, Dylan Lawlor and Ronan Kpakio have offered a major energy and enthusiasm to Cardiff that has helped them collect 16 points from their opening six League One matches.

Balancing that, Barry-Murphy has been able to integrate some of the more experienced professionals like Callum Robinson and Chris Willock more and more into the first-team picture, with Yousef Salech also offering major pedigree up-front.

One area that does lack experience, both on the pitch with the first eleven and in the squad, is the defence, and Lewis, a promotion-winner from the Championship, would definitely provide that pivotal intangible edge to an already extremely impressive side.

Getting Lewis to drop down to League One may appear like an ambitious move for Cardiff to make, but the same could have been said for the arrivals of both Gabriel Osho and Omari Kellyman, and they pulled those deals off.