FIVE CENTRE-BACKS CARDIFF SHOULD CONSIDER THIS SUMMER
- ccfcinsider
- Jun 25, 2024
- 3 min read
Cardiff City find themselves in the market for another centre-back. Sources at Cardiff haven't ruled out a move for Nat Phillips, however it has come out this morning that Liverpool value the defender at £8M, pretty much ruling Cardiff out of a move for Phillips. City are in need of a defender capable of competing and pushing Mark McGuinness, Dimitrios Goutas and new recruit Ryotaro Tsunoda.
Scott McKenna:
Club: Free Agent
Age: 27
Market Value: Free
A sensible choice that would fit the profile perfectly. A left footed centre-back, Championship experience and available on a free. The Scottish international spent the second half of last season on loan at Copenhagen where he started twelve matches. McKenna dominates in the air, winning 2.96 aerial duels per game. The 27 year-old wins 3.81 duels per game and completes 3.64 Recoveries per game. McKenna is also comfortable on the ball, completing 59.5 passes per game with a 90.4% Pass completion rate. If City could seal a deal like this it would be a statement of intent.
Serdar Aziz:
Club: Fenerbahce
Age: 33
Market Value: £500k
I understand why some would be hesitant to sign a 33 year-old centre-back, but hear me out. Aziz has won two Super Lig titles, One Turkish Cup, Two Super Cups, played in the Champions League, played in the Europa League and played eighteen times for Turkey. Aziz brings invaluable experience and he's set to leave Fenerbahce this summer. Aziz made twenty appearances last season as Fener finished second in the Super Lig. Aziz won 5.37 Duels per game, 3.31 Aerial Duels, 5.68 Recoveries and completed 1.34 interceptions. A player clearly still capable of playing at a really good level, it's an ambitious move, but having played under Bulut before, I don't think it's hugely unrealistic.
Will Fish:
Club: Manchester United
Age: 21
Market Value: £460k
Fish is a name that has already been linked with The Bluebirds, with reliable journalist David Ornstein previously claiming Cardiff were eyeing up a deal for Fish this summer. The 21 year-old has spent the last two season on loan at Hibernian where he's caught the eye. Fish wins 5.56 Duels per game and 3.64 Aerial duels. Fish also average 4 Recoveries and 1.28 Interceptions per game. The defender is also comfortable on the ball, averaging 67 touches per game and completing on average 41.6 passes per game, as well as 4.77 Accurate Long Balls. This deal seems a very similar one to Mark McGuinness, perhaps a more unknown quantity, but when you look deeper has some valuable qualities.
James Hill:
Club: Bournemouth
Age: 22
Market Value: £1.5M
Hill has won fans over at every club he's been at so far, which tells the story of how he's performed to date. Hill spent the first half of last season on loan at Blackburn at impressed. In the 22 year-old's fourteen Championship starts, he averaged 2.01 Interceptions per game, 5.21 Recoveries as well as winning 6.53 Duels and 3.61 Aerial Duels. Hill likes to be involved averaging 80.9 Touches, completing on average 46 passes per game and 2.78 Long Balls, Hill even chipped in with three assist in his time at Rovers. This would be a loan move, and a pretty decent one if City could complete it.
Harry Souttar:
Club: Leicester City
Age: 25
Market Value: £6.5M
The Market Value obviously tells you this would be a loan move. Souttar played just four times last season and is set to leave Leicester in some form this summer, City would be fools not to try and acquire his services on a temporary basis. Souttar proved his quality at this level at previous club Stoke, where over his two and a bit seasons at the club, averaged 1.76 Interceptions per game, 1.39 Tackles Won, 5.36 Recoveries, 6.87 Duels and 4.47 Aerial Duels. Souttar is also comfortable on the ball with an impressive passing range.
Summary:
Cardiff already have a good foundation in defence, it's about adding quality and good competition this summer as The Bluebirds look to go up a level in the upcoming season.
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