Exclusive: David Prutton drops Cardiff City, Alex Robertson transfer warning | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit David Prutton spoke exclusively to FLW about Alex Robertson's Cardiff City future following relegation to League One

Cardiff City may well be braced for a number of significant player exits after their relegation to League One for the first time in more than 20 years was confirmed after Saturday afternoon's agonising 0-0 draw at home to West Bromwich Albion.

The Bluebirds have been a staple in the Championship, earning two separate promotions to the Premier League in the process.

However, three of the last four campaigns have been spent battling against relegation and what has been a miserable old campaign in the Welsh capital feels rather self-inflicted as the Bluebirds head down to the third-tier for the first time under controversial owner Vincent Tan, who, alongside Mehmet Dalman and Ken Choo, has been subjected to increased pressure and scrutiny from supporters and the media alike in recent times.

Cardiff are estimated to have the Championship's seventh-highest wage bill for the 2024/25 campaign and will likely struggle to accommodate a number of the high-profile, big-earning players in the squad in League One and a series of departures looks imminent at this moment in time.

One player widely mooted by supporters for the exit door is Alex Robertson, who has enjoyed a largely impressive debut campaign after arriving from Manchester City in a reported £1 million deal last summer, which could eventually rise to £3 million if all add-on criteria are met.

Still aged just 22, the talented Aussie midfielder is under contract until the summer of 2028 and Cardiff will be eager to ensure his long-term potential can be reached in South Wales.

But he has earned an array of plaudits for his displays this term - albeit with the caveat of inconsistency following the turn of the year after spending time on the sidelines - and his quality, profile, age and previous experience in League One, having enjoyed a fruitful loan spell with Portsmouth in their title-winning campaign last time out before joining the Bluebirds, make it difficult to envisage him remaining a Cardiff player come August and beyond.

David Prutton's Cardiff City, Alex Robertson transfer warning

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Sky Sports pundit and EFL expert David Prutton issued a clear warning to Cardiff about a potential exit for Robertson this summer.

In Prutton's view, the ex-Manchester City prospect will be "highly coveted" in the coming months. Cardiff are said to have beaten off competition from six other clubs, notably including Portsmouth, for Robertson's signature last summer and his stock is likely to remain high after an impressive first season in the Championship.

"He's had a decent amount of games for a 22-year-old this season, good block of games for Pompey in the last campaign as well," Prutton told FLW.

"So I think he will be highly coveted.

"The devastation that comes financially and obviously emotionally from a team dropping out of the division will soon be there for all to see. Obviously we know it from an emotional point of view because you've seen the reaction from the Cardiff fanbase.

"The finances, I've got no real insight into that, no facts and figures at hand. But any team that goes down needs to clarify what to do with their crown jewels, whether you stick or twist and you have that player in your ranks to get back up at the first attempt, or you cash in and use that money elsewhere."

Cardiff City's Alex Robertson is too good for League One

There are a number of players in Cardiff's squad who are simply far too good to turn out in English football's third-tier, of which Robertson is proven to be one.

The ex-England youth international has enormous potential, which is sure to gain recognition from Championship clubs this summer.

With elite-level schooling and pedigree coming off Man City's vaunted talent production chain, Robertson is extremely technically-gifted and boasts an exquisite range of passing, refined composure and coolness in possession, resistance under pressure and the ability to find the back of the net from range, too.

There have been perhaps one too many occasions where he has failed to really impose himself, yet equally, he has hardly been presented with a conducive environment for a player of his ilk to thrive and could see his evident potential truly tapped into with a move away.

Cardiff will desperately hope that isn't the case, and retaining Robertson's services would hand a significant boost to their ambitions of returning to the Championship at the very first time of asking, but he does feel like one of the most likely departures right now and they will face a big challenge in fending off inevitable suitors to keep him exactly where he is.