As far as Cardiff City's summer transfer plan is concerned, the show must go on.
There is no manager in place just yet to steer the ship, but ahead of what will be a crucial summer for the Bluebirds, the club are having to toil hard behind the scenes in order to ensure that, come June 14 when the window opens, ducks are in some semblance of a row.
The Bluebirds' massive squad overhaul 12 months ago afforded them the opportunity to build a solid core of a Championship squad. However, this was always meant to be a two-year squad rebuild plan.
There were neither the funds nor the scope to pump in the requisite quality in one burst. Because, as this most recent season proves, Cardiff had a decent starting XI, but the quality dropped off once injuries and the gruelling fixture list piled up. The big struggle, of course, was to get goals into the team – something which once again needs to be addressed.
This summer represents an opportunity to build on that core squad, strengthening in key areas of the pitch but also adding depth. Not having a manager just two weeks out from the window opening was not in the plan, of course.
But the wheel simply does not stop turning because there is no manager in place. Cardiff's recruitment team were already planning for next season while last season was in progress. While it's the manager's job to be on board with the signings, it's the scouts and recruiters who are tasked with drawing up the longlist of players.
These things are not thrown together in a matter of days or weeks, they are processes which require mountains of data, as well as video and in-person scouting.
Cardiff have broadened their scouting horizons in recent years and are now more keen to find gems away from the UK as opposed to in an often overpriced domestic market. They have started to scout more heavily in both Europe and the MLS.
Take Sory Kaba, for example. Cardiff monitored him for 18 months before he eventually signed on loan on deadline day back in January. Indeed, we understand that last summer, when the Bluebirds were desperate to get a striker in, they tried to sign the forward permanently, but FC Mitdjylland's demands were far too lofty.
Jamilu Collins, the former SC Paderborn left back, was identified two years before he put pen to paper with City last summer. He started like a house on fire before suffering a season-ending knee injury away to West Brom back in August. Fans are excited to see him do what he does best once again next season.
As for the MLS. Well, Auston Trusty appears to be the one that got away. Cardiff's recruitment team kept tabs on him for 18 months before he signed for Arsenal last year. They were so impressed with him, though, that they wanted to sign him on loan for the season. All appeared to be going smoothly until Arsenal got spooked by the new FIFA ruling which deemed a move to Cardiff as an international loan, taking up one of the Gunners' eight permitted spots for sending players abroad, so to speak, and they opted to send him to Birmingham City. Lo and behold, Trusty was named Blues' player of the season and played 48 times for them.
So, rest assured, the signings don't just happen overnight. A lot of work goes into identifying the right player profiles and attributes for what is needed for the club. Granted there have been a few misses, but there have been a number of hits, too, especially in the loan market, an area in which Cardiff will look to operate shrewdly once again this summer. It is where Cardiff have found some of their biggest success stories in recent years, with the likes of Cody Drameh, Tommy Doyle, Ryan Giles, Jordan Hugill, Uche Ikpeazu, Cedric Kipre, Jaden Philogene and Kaba all having impressed during their time with the club.
Cardiff will look to find value in that market again, having scouted a number of players last season. Looking domestically, Jesurun Rak-Sakyi is drawing interest from a number of Championship clubs this summer and Cardiff have had eyes on him.
The Crystal Palace forward, 20, impressed hugely while on loan at Charlton Athletic in League One last season, scoring 15 goals in 43 league appearances for the Addicks. Cardiff are in the market for a striker and the England youth international can expect to be in the conversation.
Seeing how top prospects from the Premier League's under-21s leagues fare on their first loan, typically in Leagues One and Two is all part of Cardiff's recruitment process.
Other departments in the squad, besides strikers, must be strengthened this summer, too. Left-back was a problem area for City last term, with Collins, Callum O'Dowda, Joe Ralls, Niels Nkounkou, Perry Ng, Joel Bagan and even Sheyi Ojo all being deployed there at various stages of the season.
Collins will be back this season, thankfully for City fans, but they do not want to be caught short again next term if they can help it. The Bluebirds were knocked back in a deadline-day loan bid for Blackburn Rovers' Tayo Edun in January as they looked to address the issue for the back half of the season. However, we understand he is someone the club continues to monitor, with the 25-year-old having been restricted to only eight Championship appearances for the Ewood Park outfit last term.
Quite what that would mean for Bagan is up in the air right now and probably one for the new manager to make a call on. Sabri Lamouchi wanted to keep him and advised that the player be offered a new deal and we've no reason to believe he has been let go. However, he would ideally get a loan away from Cardiff to start racking up some game time.
Ultimately, though, it needs the sign-off from new manager, whoever that might be. The club and its recruitment department can only do so much, but the manager is the one who has to deal with the players day to day and trust them to help achieve the team's goals.
But there is no two ways about it, Cardiff simply must appoint the right manager and they must do it swiftly, otherwise all the good work which has come before it in identifying targets and the endless hours of poring over data and video clips risks going to waste.
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