The summer of 2022 represented a huge opportunity to change Cardiff City's playing squad and set them on a new course for success.
The fact it was entrusted to a rookie manager in Steve Morison, who had never managed a club before and hasn't since leaving Cardiff, and on a shoestring budget made it a mightily difficult task.
No-one expected it to be perfect, that much can be said with confidence. Every Bluebird knew there would be creases to iron out and cracks to patch up as the season went on, but, on the whole, Morison made a good fist of it in the circumstances.
Heading into this summer's transfer window, however, few envisaged the type of surgery this squad needs ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Many decisions are dependent on which division the club finds itself in come May 8, of course, but regardless of the relegation outcome, there are major areas of concern which need addressing.
There are too many players now who are likely to seek regular football in order to kickstart their careers. It would be an easier call for some if they dropped down to League One, with the likes of Mark Harris, Joel Bagan and Tom Sang likely to be afforded more chances at that level. They are also more likely to succeed.
It might even allow the likes of Eli King and Oliver Denham to step up, with the club having to operate on an even more reduced budget than they currently have. Are the other under-21s banging on the door right now? Not really. Perhaps the others closest to getting that first-team call-up — the likes of Joel Colwill, Xavier Benjamin, Cameron Antwi and James Crole — could do with a loan away whatever happens at the end of the campaign. And meaningful loans at that, with lots of game-time guaranteed. Vontae Campbell needs a loan in the summer, too.
Gavin Whyte's race appears to be run at Cardiff City. He has admirers within the club's fan base and he has rarely let the club down, but who could blame him if he wanted a move away to a club where he is truly valued and feels a key member of the squad? Even if he would be a useful asset in the third tier.
A drop to League One would invariably see some players could leave. To compound the departures of Jaden Philogene, Sory Kaba and Cedric Kipre back to their parent clubs, the likes of Callum Robinson, Callum O'Dowda and Mark McGuinness would likely attract Championship interest if the club does indeed succumb to the drop.
Just taking those six players above — there would likely be more — out of Cardiff's squad leaves major holes which would require a serious rebuild. The second in as many seasons.
If Sabri Lamouchi did consolidate the club's Championship status, well, this season's performances alone has doubtless told him what the squad needs next season. If indeed the manager does stay - because his contract is up in June, too.
“If you aren’t consistent in the Championship, you deserve to be where you are and you will be there for a lot of reasons. It is not time to discuss this," Lamouchi said after Monday's defeat by Sunderland.
So, what if the Bluebirds are in the Championship next season? How does that look? Let's presume, perhaps boldly, that those loan players mentioned above head back to their clubs but the others stay.
Ryan Allsop remains in goal, although his form has slid in recent months, with Cardiff not accentuating his strengths as much as they were earlier in the season.
Mahlon Romeo has had a good season and is a decent right-back at this level, while Perry Ng and McGuinness are solid centre-back options. Having Jamilu Collins back at left-back again will be a huge boost and certainly adds a lot to this hypothetical side for next term.
Central midfield has been a bit of an issue. There are a number of options in there, but is there enough creativity? Are they all a bit samey? Romaine Sawyers, Ryan Wintle, Joe Ralls, Andy Rinomhota and, fingers crossed he comes back strong from his hellish year, Ebou Adams. Is there enough guile or ingenuity to unlock opposition defences? That's played a big role in Cardiff being installed as the Championship's worst attacking side this year. If one or two need to go to bring in a couple of others to redress the balance, so be it.
On the left-hand side, Callum O'Dowda is a nailed-on starter. On the right? Well, that's a position that needs filling. Up front, Robinson is a good operator at this level and would start in a large majority of Championship teams. Alongside him? Well, that's something that needs looking at.
Kion Etete and Isaak Davies' goal records are not good enough yet, there is hope internally that will improve with time. But they aren't yet ready to be nailed-on starters if this club has designs on avoiding a relegation fight again next season. Connor Wickham has a decent record earlier in his career at this level, but he has hardly caught fire since arriving in February and also has a big question mark over his injury record.
So, too, does Rubin Colwill. Quite where he fits in, what his best position is and whether he will be injury-free next year are all still questions we don't have answers to. Cardiff hope next year those questions will be answered, because his ceiling is so high and the club are desperate for him to realise that massive potential.
Realistically, whether it be via the loan market, the free agent market, or paying fees, should the club be successful in overturning their partial EFL transfer embargo, the club needs a sizeable injection of quality and talent. It needs a plan and stability. A long-term manager with the right vision and the correct players to carry out such a vision, with backing from above.
Looking ahead to next season, and taking into account injuries which will inevitably befall players, Cardiff need at least one centre back, right back, left-back and creative central midfielder. They also need at least two wing options and at least two strikers. After bringing in 17 players last summer, needing another seven, at least, next season, albeit with more outgoings, is serious going.
But if Cardiff are to pick themselves out of the doldrums, they need to get quality in, like the signing of Robinson, which was a real statement of intent and he has shown what that extra bit of investment brings you.
Romeo, O'Dowda and Sawyers are all proven Championship players, too, and it's no coincidence they have been some of Cardiff's better players in this campaign. Kaba has a proven record, albeit abroad, but arguably in comparable leagues. Collins has played in the Africa Cup of Nations and in the Bundesliga. Those are the sorts of players who make a difference.
Surely Vincent Tan will see the correlation between an underfunded squad, a managerial merry-go-round and a yearly slide down the Championship ladder? There is only one way this ends and it is not with another promotion to the Premier League, which we are to believe is the owner's aim. That is not going to happen unless the pattern and strategy changes, starting with yet another big recruitment drive this summer.
Actually, it doesn't. Of course it doesn't. It starts with staying in the Championship. It starts with securing the club's future for another year and appointing a manager, whether it be Lamouchi or someone else, for the long term.
One eye has to be on the future at all times, though, even if the enormity of these final six games of this current season is unquantifiable. Cardiff cannot be caught on the hop again. The rebuild in League One would be far more painful and complicated than a rebuild in the Championship.
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