Cardiff City: Exit plan outlined for 23-year-old striker as clubs circle | OneFootball

Kion Etete will be leaving Cardiff City this month.

Kion Etete is expected to leave Cardiff City this month with a host of League One sides interested in securing his temporary services.

This is according to TalkSport's Chief Football Correspondent, Alex Crook, who has detailed this announcement in a post on X (Formerly Twitter).

The 23-year-old is the Bluebirds' number nine but has featured just once this season with a hamstring injury ruling him out until the FA Cup fixture against Sheffield United.

Currently, Cardiff have a number of options up front with Callum Robinson in fine form in recent weeks. Additionally, the signing of Yousef Salech for a fee in the region of £3 to £4 million means Etete has now fallen further down the pecking order.

A move to League One could offer him some respite and a chance to prove his worth to current Bluebirds boss, Omer Riza.

Cardiff City keen to find Etete a loan move

As detailed above, Etete is expected to leave Cardiff this window with a loan move the most likely option. Crook reports of League One interest, with the Bluebirds "expected" to green-light an exit.

Earlier in the window, Darren Witcoop outlined interest from Charlton Athletic and Huddersfield Town. However, with the Terriers securing the high-profile signings of Joe Taylor and Dion Charles, their interest in Etete is likely to wane.

This could clear the way for the Addicks, who have surprisingly not made any signings so far this window.

At present, their top scorer is Matt Godden, who has managed just six goals in the 2024-25 season. For a club aiming for a top-six finish, this simply isn’t good enough. If they are serious about challenging for the play-offs, securing Etete as their first January signing would be a smart move.

Omer Riza needs to find Etete gametime

Since returning from injury, Etete has been included in just two matchday squads, with the striker once again omitted from tonight's (21st January) game against Millwall.

This leaves Riza in a precarious position regarding the 23-year-old's future and sourcing him some minutes away from South Wales would be the best option.

His previous stint in League One saw him produce six goal contributions in 13 games for Cheltenham Town and Charlton or someone else would be welcoming this support.

With his contract expiring in the summer, Etete has to treat these final six months as his last resort. If he can impress well enough, then he could be offered a fresh deal at the Cardiff City Stadium come June.

However, if he fails to impress, it seems likely that the striker has already made his final appearance for the Bluebirds, with Riza showing little interest in reintegrating him into the matchday squads.