Cardiff City to be ‘very’ busy in transfer market as midfielder set for loan

Cardiff City manager Brian Barry-Murphy hopes the club are “very” busy in the transfer market over the next few days as the Bluebirds look to strengthen their squad before next Tuesday’s deadline.

Barry-Murphy was speaking after Cardiff’s 2-1 Carabao Cup defeat to Norwich City on Tuesday night, with the club having only added Jack Moylan as a new senior signing so far this summer.

The Cardiff boss had previously said he expected another arrival to be in place for the Norwich game, but that did not happen.

Asked how busy he expected Cardiff to be over the coming days, Barry-Murphy, crossing his fingers, replied: “Hopefully, very.”

When asked whether he remained confident that the target he had expected to arrive before Norwich could still complete a move.

“I hope so,” he said.

Barry-Murphy was also asked whether he expected to have a signing in place by Thursday.

“I would certainly hope so,” he said, again with fingers crossed. “I was pretty sure we’d have somebody in today, so hopefully that’ll be the case by Thursday.”

Barry-Murphy, who said delays were centred around the club being very particular in who they want, was also pressed on owner Vincent Tan’s involvement in Cardiff’s transfer activity and whether there was sufficient financial headroom to make further additions.

The manager said Tan is contacted when necessary, rather than being involved in every day-to-day discussion.

“I think the club works in a way that, when we need something, we go to him, but I wouldn’t be ringing him every single day looking for things,” Barry-Murphy said.

“I think he wouldn’t be long telling me where to go.

“We’re very grateful for all the support we’ve had, but we’ve spent so little, I think we’re very confident we can bring players in.”

With the transfer deadline approaching, Barry-Murphy’s message is clear: Cardiff are expecting movement, with King potentially heading out on loan and the manager hopeful of welcoming another new face by Thursday.

The manager’s comments come with Cardiff facing significant defensive problems, while the club are also expected to continue strengthening elsewhere in the squad before the transfer window closes.

The Bluebirds’ injury list has left Barry-Murphy with limited options, with 15-year-old Noah Anyadike making his senior debut against Norwich before being forced off with cramp.

The club are also without Will Fish and Dylan Lawlor for the longer term, while Callum Chambers remains unavailable and Gabriel Osho is only expected to return to training later this week.

One player who could leave Cardiff on loan before the deadline is midfielder Eli King.

The 23-year-old featured for the under-21s on Tuesday as he continues his comeback from a serious injury, rather than being included in the first-team squad for the Carabao Cup tie.

Barry-Murphy explained that King needed minutes to continue his progress and would not have benefited from sitting on the bench.

“Just because he would have been unlikely to get the minutes he needs to progress,” Barry-Murphy said.

“He’s obviously coming back from a very serious injury, so we want to make sure he doesn’t miss out on any game time and sit on the bench for no reason.”

Asked whether King could remain with Cardiff or whether a loan move was more likely, Barry-Murphy was clear.

“No, I think the intention is for him to go on loan,” he said. “He’s just assessing his options as he tries to complete a full game since his injury.”