WHAT'S HAPPENING? CITY PLAYERS OUT ON LOAN

What's happening now with Cardiff City's players out on loan
By Tom Prosser

Summer is time for a squad overhaul


Omar Bogle, Lee Tomlin and Gary Madine have all spent time away from Cardiff City on loan this season

With Cardiff City’s relegation from the Premier League now confirmed, attention turns to next season's squad as the Bluebirds attempt to bounce back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Bluebirds currently have a number of players out on loan all of which were signed when Caridff were in the Championship.


Do any of these players have a future?

We take a look at how they have got on at their loan clubs and whether they have a future with the club.


Gary Madine

Madine recently celebrated his second successive promotion to the Premier League following a relatively successful loan spell at Sheffield United after joining them in January.

He fared better in front of goal than he has for Cardiff, scoring three goals in 16 appearances, 10 of which have been from the substitutes' bench.

The 28-year-old grabbed a brace in the Blades' 4-0 win over Reading and also found the back of the net in the 1-1 draw against Millwall. As well as the goals, he provided a strong focal point for United’s attacking play.

The striker who cost Cardiff £6million is reportedly set to hold talks with Chris Wilder about making his move permanent this summer and if Cardiff can recoup a large percentage of the fee they signed him for it is unlikely they will stand in his way.


Omar Bogle

Bogle has had two loan spells this season. Until January, he was with Birmingham in the Championship; currently he is on loan at League One play-off contenders Portsmouth, but he is injured at present and may not be available.

Despite featuring regularly in August, he found his game-time limited due to the strong partnership formed by Birmingham strikers Che Adams and Lukas Jutkiewicz. He did, however, score one goal which came on Boxing Day against Stoke.

Since January, his time at Pompey has been successful. He has scored four goals in 12 matches, including one on his debut against eventual title winners Luton.

The 25-year-old played well in patches for Cardiff last season, scoring three times, including one in the Severnside derby against Bristol City when he also got sent off. He does not appear to be in Neil Warnock’s plans, but he could be a handy back-up option for the Bluebirds.


Lee Tomlin

Tomlin has been a regular starter since rejoining his former side Peterborough on loan in January.

He has played for the Posh 21 times in all competitions, scoring twice, and also saw red against Plymouth in February after picking up a second yellow card for raising a hand to an opposition player.

The 30-year-old is highly unlikely to have a future with Cardiff and will probably be moved on, either permanently or on loan again.

While Cardiff will be unlikely to receive a transfer fee for any potential sale, they would save a lot in terms of wages.


Ciaron Brown

The young centre-back has been on loan at Scottish Premier League side Livingston since the end of January.

He has featured five times for the Scottish club, with four of those being starts.

Livingston manager Gary Holt was impressed with Brown’s debut against Kilmarnock and described him as a player “who will put his body on the line for you”.

Brown is yet to make his first-team debut for the Bluebirds, but was an unused substitute for Cardiff’s defeat to Norwich in the second round of this year's Carabao Cup in August.

He has been a standout performer for the Cardiff Under-23 side since joining from non-league Wealdstone in January 2018.

It would not be surprising to see Brown provide defensive cover on the bench a few times next season, although he would gain further experience from going out on loan again.


Conclusion

There are many players who have been out of the picture this season, either due to being out on loan as mentioned above or by being left out of the Premier League squad, which has been the case for the likes of Matthew Connolly, Loic Damour and Stuart O’Keefe, who is now in the final month of his contract.

It is likely that a lot of these players will be moved on for nominal fees or free transfers, but it would free-up some of the wage budget for the Bluebirds.

You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.