"A massive success" - Unsung Cardiff City hero lauded following surprise transfer deal | OneFootball

The current Derby County winger was excellent for the Bluebirds during his time at the club, helping them to the top flight.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Cardiff City's promotion to the Premier League in the 2017/18 campaign perhaps came as a bit of a surprise for many.

The South Wales-based club had finished 12th in the second tier the season prior, but under the guidance of Neil Warnock, the Bluebirds were excellent and proved to be the closest challenger to one of the Championship's greatest ever teams in Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The likes of Callum Patterson, Joe Ralls and Sol Bamba were brilliant for their experienced manager, and they helped take Cardiff back to the Premier League for the first time in four years following relegation in the 2013/14 campaign.

It was a team that was built without costing a huge amount, and the hard-working nature of the side served them well throughout their 46 games, beating Fulham to automatic promotion on the final day of the season.

However, one player from that team shocked many after signing on a free transfer.

Cardiff City: Nathaniel Mendez-Laing ended up being a bargain success for Bluebirds

In recent years, Cardiff have struggled to put together a team capable of challenging for promotion, reaching the play-offs just once in the five seasons that they have had in the Championship since returning in 2019.

Failed signings, and poor managerial choices have seen the Bluebirds drop closer towards the bottom half of the second tier, and there have not been enough signings that have surprised supporters with their talent - unlike Nathaniel Mendez-Laing back in 2017.

Football League World's Cardiff Fan Pundit, Jack Price, was asked which player he believes had the biggest impact after joining the club relatively under the radar, and he pinpointed the mercurial talent that was the Guatemala international forward, who made the jump up from then-League One minnows Rochdale to play a pivotal role for the Bluebirds.

Price told FLW: "It's quite funny with Cardiff because there are quite a lot of players who we've signed who didn't have a lot of hype at the time and didn't appear to be massively impressive signings but became real successes with us.

"Whereas, in contrast, a lot of the players we've signed to a great deal of hype and excitement, they’ve flattered to deceive.

"There’s a few I could pick from, but the one I'd go with is Nathaniel Mendez-Laing. We signed him on a free transfer in the summer of 2017, and he'd had two decent seasons in League One with Rochdale, but he hadn't been outstandingly good.

"He came here, and I think a lot of Cardiff fans didn't really know what to expect from him. He wasn't a well-known name, and he had sort of bounced around League 1 and 2.

"When he signed, however, he had a blistering start to the 17/18 season. He scored twice against Aston Villa, and he scored four goals in his first four league games. It was a really good return.

"He was dynamite in the season that we got promoted, he was a massive part of why we went up under Neil Warnock. He was explosive, he was direct, he was skillful, he could beat a man, he could cross and score and defenders simply couldn't handle him.

"He was also pretty decent in the Premier League, and he obviously scored that brace at Old Trafford. He did miss a lot of the season through injury, but when he was fit, he was dynamite again.

"There was one game against Liverpool where he ripped Trent Alexander-Arnold apart, and then he was good the following season, as we got back into the play-offs and narrowly missed out on reaching the final.

"Obviously, Mendez-Laing’s career at Cardiff came to an abrupt and bitter end, but he's still really fondly remembered.

"It was a signing that didn't really have anyone excited at the time, but it turned into a massive success because he was great for us and, for what it's worth, we haven't had a right-sided winger with the same level of directness and speed as Mendez-Laing since, and we still haven’t replaced him.

"So, he's been a big miss and that proves how successful a signing he was, even though you wouldn't have really predicted it at the time."

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing has proved his time at Cardiff City wasn't a fluke

Mendez-Laing was released by Cardiff in 2020 for an alleged breach of contract, joining first Middlesbrough and then Sheffield Wednesday, before finally settling at Derby County ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

In League One, the winger was excellent, scoring 16 goals and picking up 24 assists over the course of his two seasons in the division with the Rams, helping them to promotion to the Championship in April 2024.

Now captain at Pride Park, he has enjoyed a fantastic revival in his career, and earned his first cap for Guatemala in June of last year, qualifying to play for the Central American nation through his grandmother.

While he has perhaps lost the same spark that he had during his time with Cardiff in recent months, Mendez-Laing continues to be an important figure in Derby's team, with his future secured in the East Midlands until 2026.

Seven years on from his Bluebirds debut, some sections of the club's support will still be regretting the way his time in South Wales ended, as he likely could still be having an impact for the team now.