Cardiff City: Big update emerges on Omer Riza, Vincent Tan situation | OneFootball

Omer Riza and Vincent Tan are set to hold talks in a bid to finally end Cardiff City's search for a new permanent manager

A crucial development has emerged in the situation surrounding Omer Riza's future at Cardiff City, with the interim boss now set to fly to Malaysia to undertake crunch discussions with owner Vincent Tan.

That's according to an update from WalesOnline's Bluebirds correspondent Glen Williams, who has reported that Riza and Tan are set to meet in South East Asia in order to break the stalemate.

Riza has been in charge of the Championship side on an interim basis since September when Erol Bulut was relieved of his duties following a winless start to the season. It was expected that Cardiff would promote Riza temporarily amid the search for a new, external managerial appointment, but the former Watford and Leyton Orient coach quickly forced his way into contention.

Riza has won four of his first nine matches in the job and had Cardiff on an unbeaten run of six games prior to back-to-back defeats to Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers. He has certainly made a strong case for earning the role full-time and has joined supporters and players alike in calling for clarity in recent weeks.

He's now been in charge for no less than 54 days, an awfully long time for an interim manager to hold their position. There was complete radio silence regarding the future of his tenure, although today's news is sure to quicken a decision being made during this month's international break.

Omer Riza, Vincent Tan set to come to key Cardiff City decision

As per Williams' report, Riza has flown out to Kuala Lumpur to hold a crunch meeting with Tan, where a decision will be expected to be made either way.

Riza and Tan will be meeting for the first time in Malaysia, although they have reportedly conversed before and after each match since the 45-year-old took charge.

It doesn't appear clear just yet whether the meeting will lead to Riza's appointment, so to speak, but it should declare clarity either way. Cardiff are taking their time to appoint a permanent successor to Bulut, although it's said a deal was looking close following the Bluebirds' dramatic 2-1 victory over Norwich City a week and a half ago.

Williams' report adds that certain club insiders were "surprised" that Cardiff did not finalise a deal for Riza to step up full-time that weekend, but others have said that the key decision makers - chiefly Tan, Mehmet Dalman, and Ken Choo - were intent on waiting until the games against Luton and Blackburn.

With Cardiff's resurgent form having been halted as of late, it's yet to be seen if the side's consecutive recent defeats will count against Riza, who is keen to land his first full-time managerial role and will hope his talks with Tan result in exactly that.

Cardiff City supporters will hope Vincent Tan appoints Omer Riza

Supporters have urged Tan for clarity and conclusion either way, but the general consensus is that Riza deserves the opportunity to lead this side on a permanent basis after making such a positive start.

Riza has taken points from all but three of his opening nine encounters, helping Cardiff away from bottom spot while overturning their staggering deficit in goal difference which had been accumulated under Bulut. Cardiff are still in the relegation zone, of course, but many will argue that they have a strong chance at lifting up from 22nd place if Riza stays in charge.

Better still, in the eyes of some, the style of football has been progressive and liberating, with Riza changing Cardiff's shape and opting for a more off-the-cuff, high-tempo - and less pragmatic - style which appears to be getting the very best out of the likes of Callum Robinson, Rubin Colwill, Alex Robertson and many more.

Although Cardiff haven't had great luck with making internal appointments in the past, with both Steve Morison and Mark Hudson ultimately falling short after receiving the job full-time, Riza has been a breath of fresh air and has earned significant buy-in at the club, strengthening his chances of landing the gig.