Last season
2nd in Championship (promoted)
FA Cup Fourth Round (lost to  Manchester City)
League Cup Second round (lost to Burton Albion)

Cardiff City aim for Welsh EPL longevity

Cardiff are now flying the Welsh flag in the EPL after their promotion and Swansea’s relegation. There is little that manager Neil Warnock does not know about the lower half of the EPL and he looks to be the perfect leader to initially stabilise the side in the top tier.

Although many accept that a promoted side’s second year in the EPL is often tougher than their first, that does not mean the inaugural season will be anything but a noble struggle. Swansea’s seven year stay though does give hope that being a yoyo club is not an inevitable destiny for the Bluebirds.

Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson is the Welsh side’s best known player having started all three games at the recent World Cup. There has been surprisingly little quality brought in thus far in the transfer market with only four additions from the EFL traveling to Cardiff.

Warnock may well have decided that there are advantages in keeping as year’s successful squad together at least initially, at a time in the season where potential opponents are still earning each others’ names and faces.

The loan from Betis, midfielder Víctor Camarasa, looks interesting but it is hardly the type of move to get pulses racing.

Republic of Ireland international Harry Arter looks to be another target although as he plays for Bournemouth, their first opponent, that loan agreement looks to be something to which conditions will come attached.

Manager Neil Warnock had stated that he wanted to add a striker on loan to add to Kenneth Zohore, Danny Ward and January signing Gary Madine calling a new striker his “missing piece” but as the transfer deadline approached ahead of the weekend’s start of the Premier League season, he seems to have prioritised his midfield instead.

This comes after the news that Liverpool did not wish to renew the loan deal for Serbian international midfielder Marko Grujic who was such a crucial part of the promotion campaign.

Warnock may well have decided that the earlier part of the season is where he can accrue more points with lesser quality, as the better sides attempt to incorporate new players or players adjust to the ways of new coaches. Looking at their opening schedule, they start with a match at Bournemouth. They host Newcastle, visit Huddersfield and then host Arsenal before their honeymoon ends with matches against Chelsea and Manchester City. Two of the first five have new coaches, and another two are likely relegation rivals.

If Warnock can emerge from that with seven or eight points, that will give him some breathing space, especially with Burnley and Fulham coming up shortly afterwards.

Goals might be a problem. Their 69 goals in last year’s Championship was low for a side garnering 90 points and their top league scorer Scot Callum Paterson only reached 10 with Canadian Junior Hoilett edging to 11 courtesy of two FA Cup goals to add to his nine in the league. It may be heartening that Huddersfield survived last year’s EPL with just 28 goals.

Cardiff are the bookmakers’ favourites to be relegated from the top flight this term and a relatively unimpressive transfer window will do little to lengthen those odds. But Neil Warnock knows this territory better than anybody and it would be foolish to assume he doesn’t know something we don’t.

Players In
DEF Greg Cunningham (Preston North End Undisclosed)
FWD Josh Murphy (Norwich City Undisclosed)
FWD Bobby Reid (Bristol City Undisclosed)
GK Alex Smithies (Queens Park Rangers Undisclosed)
Victor Camarasa (Real Betis Loan)
Harry Arter (Bournemouth Loan)

Players Out
DEF Rhys Abbruzzee (Unattached)
FWD Frédéric Gounongbe (Unattached)
DEF Greg Halford (Unattached)
FWD Matthew Kennedy (St Johnstone Free)
FWD Ogo Obi (Unattached)
GK Ben Wilson (Bradford City Free)
DEF Connor Young (Unattached)
GK Lee Camp (Birmingham City Free)

Prediction: 16th