2026-27 Recruitment Plan for Cardiff City

Player Decisions

Retain

Harry Tyrer, Will Fish, Joel Bagan, Gabriel Osho, Callum Chambers, Perry Ng, Ronan Kpakio, Rubin Colwill, Joel Colwill, Alex Robertson, Ryan Wintle, David Turnbull, Ollie Tanner, Chris Willock, Yousef Saleh, Izaak Davies, Cian Ashford, Callum Robinson

Release

Michael Reindorf

Lose

Dylan Lawlor

Sell

Kion Etete, Jesper Daland, Eli King, Roko Simic

Loan End

Nathan Trott, Calum Scanlon, Omari Kellyman

Retained Squad

New Signings

Spike Brits (Manchester City – loan)

Going into the summer, Brian Barry-Murphy has got a bit of a dilemma to sort in that goalkeeper Nathan Trott – who The Bluebirds signed with a loan with an obligation to buy – is reportedly set to navigate an exit to allow him to join elsewhere. If they do lose Trott, Barry-Murphy will have to sign a new #1 to – at the very least – provide Harry Tyrer with competition for the jersey. 

One player that I think The Bluebirds could realistically sign is youngster Spike Brits. Barry-Murphy was Head Coach of the Manchester City academy side prior to taking up the managerial role with The Bluebirds. I expected that we may well utilise those relationships in signing young players on loan to strengthen the group. While the depth of the City side this term has perhaps negated the need to utilise that, it wouldn’t surprise me to see The Bluebirds use Barry-Murphy’s connections to Manchester City in signing players on loan. 

Indeed, if they do I feel that 18-year-old Brits could well be a good option for The Bluebirds to consider. The goalkeeper signed for Manchester City in 2023 in what was a record for an academy transfer, and is capped internationally by the England Under-18’s side, and so is someone that is incredibly highly-rated within both a) City and b) youth circles. The youngster has yet to get an opportunity in the first-team under Pep Guardiola – perhaps understandably – and so I think that a loan away from the club could well be the right next step. 

In terms of his profile, I think Brits represents a good fit for the type of goalkeeper that Barry-Murphy wants to sign. One of the major attractions of signing Trott was that he is good with the ball at his feet and being part of the build-up from the back, and so any signing that they make in this department has to be comfortable in playing out. Luckily, Brits is a goalkeeper who has been lauded for the quality of his ball-playing in very much the mould of a ‘modern day goalkeeper’. 

The youngster is only 18 years of age and so represents a bit of a ‘gamble’ purely from the point of view that he has yet to experience first-team football. However, Barry-Murphy is a manager that has shown he is willing to give young players an opportunity to play first-team football and so I think that he would have no problem in putting the youngster in a Championship side. He is an imposing figure at 6ft 3in, and represents the ideal profile for what The Bluebirds will likely sign as a replacement for Nathan Trott.

Denis Cirkin (Sunderland – free)

One position that has provided a bit of ‘food for thought’ this term for The Bluebirds has been left-back. One solution that I think they should look at to address that area of the pitch is Sunderland’s Denis Cirkin. 

Cirkin was reportedly going to bet let go by The Black Cats at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, and so having failed to establish himself as a regular pick for Sunderland in the first-team in the top flight you would imagine that the best level at which to pitch him as far as a potential destination is concerned is for him to drop back down into the Championship. If he does, I think that he could be a good option for The Bluebirds to sign. 

In terms of the profile that Brian Barry-Murphy is looking for at full-back, the City boss wants a left-back that can get forward, good on the ball and contribute to the attacking play. Cirkin is a diminutive left-back, but possesses an incredible energy and pressing against the ball. Agile, quick and direct in transition with his running. He has got the engine to get up in support of attacking transitions as an option on the overlap, and has got the speed to defend wide spaces. Barry-Murphy wants his Cardiff City to play quick, possession-based, attacking football and so Cirkin represents a good fit for that. 

The Sunderland left-back is not the biggest, but he is someone whose technical quality represents a good fit for this City side. Having a squad that has got the versatility to be adaptable in and out-of-possession is key, and so Cirkin – who has played as a wing-back with The Black Cats at times, and earlier in his career – offers Barry-Murphy the options to switch formation if required. At the very least, he is a forward-thinking full-back and so provides continuity in the way that City have played to great success this term. 

He will have a lot of suitors if he is let go by The Black Cats purely for the fact that he has been part of a Sunderland side that won promotion from the second tier and in which he played a prominent part. The left-back is still only 24 years of age, and so he will represent an attractive option for clubs in the Championship. If The Bluebirds could get him, I think that would answer a lot of their left-back quandaries.

Rhys Williams (Liverpool – free)

Given his form and development over the last 12-18 months, one challenge that I think that City will have in the summer is trying to replace youngster Dylan Lawlor. With reported interest as far and wide as Liverpool and Bayern Munich as early as last January, I feel there is a half expectation that he won’t be a permanent City player come the start of 2026-27. 

Replacing Lawlor will be no easy feat given his quality, and so The Bluebirds would have to be clever in the way that they approach the market and who they target as a replacement. One option that I would consider given that he is likely going to be on the move this summer is Liverpool youngster Rhys Williams. Out of contract at the end of the campaign with the top flight side, I feel that he could represent a smart outside-of-the-box option for Brian Barry-Murphy. 

Having broken through into the first-team reckoning under Jurgen Klopp, I think that the 25-year-old has seemingly lost his way a little bit in the past 12-18 months having not played a huge number of minutes, having had spells out with injury and not being part of Liverpool’s immediate first-team plans. He needs to go somewhere that he is going to play – or at least have a credible pathway to minutes – and play under a coach that can get him back playing towards his best levels. 

In terms of the attributes that Williams has, he is a physically imposing, powerful, aerially-strong confident centre-back. Known for the quality of his technical acumen in being able to play out from the back and using his large frame to protect the ball in carrying into midfield, I think that Williams has a number of the qualities that have made Lawlor such a key figure for City as part of Barry-Murphy’s side. We have seen Lawlor stride into midfield with his elegant carries forward, and so signing a centre-back that can provide those same proficiencies in possession is a key prerequisite of who they opt for in the market. 

The Liverpool defender is 25 years of age, and so is coming into the perceived prime years of his career. While his last loan move away from Liverpool was with Morecambe in the 2024-25, I think that under a top coach (as Brian Barry-Murphy is) and in the right setup then he is more than capable of playing much higher than that. Remember: this was a centre-back who has played in the top flight for Liverpool and in the Champions League, and so there is definitely a talented centre-back there.

Omari Kellyman (Chelsea – fee)

The only player on this list that will need no introduction to Cardiff City fans is youngster Omari Kellyman. A player that finished the 2025-26 campaign on loan with The Bluebirds, I think that the youngster has made a sufficiently positive impression during his time in the Welsh capital that they may enquire to re-sign him on a permanent basis. 

One of the advantages that I feel you get in signing a player of Omari Kellyman’s profile is that he offers the versatility of being able to play in a number of different roles. With The Bluebirds, Kellyman has been used as a secondary striker in leading the line in Salech’s absence, as a #10 or in a slightly wide attacking role playing narrow and using his athleticism and ball-carrying qualities in transition. In what I am anticipating will be an overly quiet window for City with an emphasis on quality over quantity and only a handful of additions, having a composite option like Kellyman is really useful.

Indeed, Kellyman is – I feel – quite a unique profile for an attacking player. Often when you have a player of the intricacy and close control of Kellyman, they are perhaps more of your diminutive, tricky, skilful player, but Kellyman has got a large frame, is physically strong and provides more of a reference in transition. He has got an athleticism and long-legged running style in carrying the ball, and he protects the ball really well under pressure in tight areas. 

With the plethora of options that Chelsea have all tied down to long-term deals, I think that the opportunities for Kellyman to gain first-team experience are particularly few and far between for the 20-year-old. If I was advising him, I would be looking to navigate an exit from the club and if he does then a permanent deal seems the most logical. A chance to go and find a new permanent home, settle down and really kick-on in his career. If that is the case, I would suggest Cardiff City will be at the front of the queue for his signature.

Ethan Brierley (Brentford – free)

While the Bluebirds have got some good midfield options, one player that I think they will likely go for in the summer is youngster Ethan Brierley. He was a signing that many City fans half expected to sign for them last summer, and I expect that Barry-Murphy will re-visit that interest this term. 

Brierley is a player that needs little introduction to Barry-Murphy, with the young midfielder having come through the Rochdale academy and progressing on to get his big move whilst playing under Barry-Murphy. 

In terms of where I see him fitting into this City side, I think that he is most effective playing in a double-pivot. He has got the agility to spin into the half-spaces and into the channels and pick up clever pockets in which to get on the ball. Equally, his range of passing, vision, positional intelligence and speed of touch allows him to make clever use of the ball in possession, recycle through midfield and play almost like a quarterback role in threading balls through for runners. 

He offers City depth throughout their midfield options, given that he is capable of playing as more of a deeper-lying #6 that can get on the ball, dictate the tempo of a game and create in front of the back four. Equally, he has got a lovely energy and dynamism in his running to play more advanced as a #8 in carrying forward and playing into the front players. Personally, I feel that he is good enough on the ball that – if required – you could play hima s a #10, getting into spaces between the lines and getting on the turn to pick passes through. Physically he needs a bit of work and that is how I think he takes his game to the next level, but technically there is no denying he is a wonderfully intelligent footballer. 

The best football of Brierley’s playing career has come under Barry-Murphy, and so I don’t think that there is any better manager to get the best out of him than the City boss. He is out of contract with The Bees and is unlikely to remain at the club as far as integrating into the first-team is concerned, and so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him move on. After a good season in League One with Exeter City, I think that he would represent quite a nice project for Barry-Murphy in the Championship.

Ryan McAidoo (Manchester City – loan)

The second player on this list that I think The Bluebirds could look to sign by way of Barry-Murphy’s connections with Manchester City is youngster Ryan McAidoo. The youngster is only 17 years of age and so it would be very much a ‘go out and just learn first-team football’ type loan, but I feel he could offer City something a little bit different in the wide areas. 

The Bluebirds have got some good wide players in the form of Ollie Tanner and Rubin Colwill that I feel are more technical, tricky, inventive types that are as much about wide creation and intricacy between the lines in coming in off the flank than they are hitting the byline. Their build-up has been very deliberate this season in having the confidence to play through teams and be more structured with patient passing. However, I feel that as they step up they should look to sign an option more so looking to play on the backline. 

As a player, McAidoo is a direct winger with blistering pace. He has played largely off the right-hand side for Manchester City’s academy, and is left-footed. He looks to get at players and cut inside onto his left very much in the mould of a Bukayo Saka or Lamine Yamal, with the quick, straight-line running to commit players and then negotiating shooting opportunities. 

McAidoo is an incredible athlete, and brings that little bit of off-the-cuff flair and skill that I think would take their game to the next level. They have got some good #10’s – some of the best in the division for the Championship – and so having a wide player whose first instinct is to run off the shoulder of the opposition, attack space and force teams back will as a consequence open up space on the edge of the box for the #10’s to arrive onto the ball and get shots off. 

Importantly, I think that McAidoo provides a better transitional threat for The Bluebirds. Quick back-to-front play. I also think that the youngster provides more unpredictability in his movement, with the quick feet and skill to go either way. Clever drops of the shoulder. Short, sharp bursts away from his marker, and changing direction. Quite a lot of City’s attacking play has been positional, whereas having more of a fluid attacking asset could be useful.

If McAidoo does get a move in the summer, I think that Cardiff City represents a good option for the youngster to go and play his football. The forward has played under Barry-Murphy before, and so I feel City is the right environment for him.

Brian Madjo (Aston Villa – loan)

The final player that I have picked out on this list is a striker. You would imagine that Salerch will get the nod in leading the line for The Bluebirds, however I feel that it would be useful for City to sign another out-and-out #9 to challenge and provide competition to him. The player that I would look is Brian Madjo. 

Madjo is currently on the books at Premier League Aston Villa, albeit has yet to make an appearance in the top flight for Unai Emery’s side. The youngster is only 18 years of age, and I think that a loan in which to get regular first-team play could well be beneficial for his development. It remains to be seen as to whether or not he gets an opportunity in the first-team next term, but with Ollie Watkins and Tammy Abraham ahead of him then I would say the chances are slim. 

In Salech’s absence, The Bluebirds have had to use Omari Kellyman through the middle this season to provide them with the physical presence. Without Salech, they definitely struggled to impact games as effectively as they did with the Dane leading the line and so I think that Barry-Murphy needs to sign another physical #9 that can provide them with a platform to play off. 

In terms of his profile, Madjo is a physical powerhouse. An imposing figure at 6ft 4in, he is inductive, aggressive in his play in occupying centre-backs and is a good aerial outlet at the top end of the pitch in terms of getting on the end of deliveries. Despite being a strong athlete, he is surprisingly mobile and has a yard of pace. I like the versatility that he offers in being that presence who the team can play off, but equally the type that can play on the last line in attacking space behind. 

Brian Bary-Murphy is one of the best developers of young players in the country, and so I think that he will be at the front of the queue to potentially get Madjo’s services if he does go out on loan. If they could land the youngster on loan, I think that they would be getting the perfect option to complement and provide competition to Yousef Salech next term.