2 players who could follow Kion Etete out of Cardiff City in January 2025 | OneFootball

Football League World looks at three potential Cardiff City player exits that could take place January

Cardiff City will likely not be expecting wholesale player departures when the January transfer window rolls around in just over two month’s time.

Of course, the unenviable exercise of rebuilding and filling gaps mid-season means that clubs almost invariably tend to avoid letting too many players depart, which is sure to be the case with Cardiff.

The Bluebirds cleared house to a certain degree across the summer window, sending a host of players out on loan and offloading those deemed surplus to requirements.

The most notable departure during the summer months was Mark McGuinness, who joined Championship rivals Luton Town in a deal which could reportedly rise to £10 million. Collecting an eight-figure sum represented profit and undoubted success for Cardiff, although they will be hoping to wade off any potential interest of that kind - one would imagine that Rubin Colwill may find himself with a handful of admirers.

All things considered, Cardiff should be expecting a rather quiet winter window on the outgoings front.

Mind you, we could still see a departure or two, and Football League World takes a look at three players who may head through the exit door, either temporarily or permanently.

Cian Ashford

We are not simply exploring permanent departures here - indeed, the likelihood is that the majority of Cardiff’s potential January exits, if they are made at all, will be done on a temporary basis.

Cian Ashford is an example of that, and while there has been no talk of him heading out on loan, gaining further first-team experience away from Cardiff may prove the best port of call right now.

The 20-year-old burst on to the scene toward the back-end of last season, bagging his first professional goal in spectacular fashion by scoring a 95th-minute winner against Russell Martin’s Southampton in front of the Canton Stand.

But following the arrivals of Anwar El Ghazi and Chris Willock, regular opportunities have proved largely elusive and you would hardly expect him to force his way into real contention anytime soon.

The scenario is by no means a slight on Ashford, who undoubtedly has exciting young potential and showed tangible signs of what could be to come earlier this year. But with opportunities clearly hard to come by, a loan move in January could and probably should be made.

Kion Etete

Meanwhile, Kion Etete faces an uncertain future at Cardiff.

He is nearing the end of his three-year contract with the Bluebirds, which was penned after arriving from Tottenham Hotspur in 2022, and as of yet, there is not a great deal of evidence to suggest that Cardiff should extend his stay.

Etete certainly has his backers among the fan base, and there are reasons for that. The 22-year-old has displayed real promise on occasion, and his link-up play when leading the line certainly offers a different outlet to this Cardiff attack.

But, the reality is, we simply have not seen enough of that. He has endured some real tough luck with injuries while facing general teething problems with the adjustment to the Championship and, let’s not forget, he was forced to feed off scraps just like every other Cardiff frontman for far too long with the side sorely lacking in creativity for large parts of his stay, but the goals have failed to flow when handed opportunities.

Etete probably could not have believed his luck when he was ruled out of the first three months of the season just a week before its initiation back at the start of August with a hamstring injury, with Cardiff’s forward options considerably light there and then.

Isaak Davies, of course, has also been a long-term absentee and Wilfried Kanga has thus far flattered to deceive, and had Etete not picked up that unfortunate injury, only Callum Robinson would have been standing in his way.

Davies will also be back before long, though, and you would likely expect Cardiff to be in the market for another striker in January.

Just where that leaves Etete is yet to be seen. Although his contract is up in the summer, it is not wholly uncommon for clubs to sign players with six months left on their deal at a discounted price - as Cardiff did with David Turnbull from Celtic at the start of the year.

Alternatively, a short-term loan move could be a potential option to explore, handing Cardiff the opportunity to carefully assess his progression before arriving at a decision.

This is all hypothetical, though, for the time being at least. Etete does not necessarily appear primed to leave, but equally, it’s hard to completely rule out an exit.

Michael Reindorf

Lastly, in what would doubtless be a loan departure in any case, Michael Reindorf would also reap the rewards of obtaining senior football experience elsewhere if he continues to be overlooked for first-team contention.

Reindorf only joined Cardiff this summer from Norwich City, but he has burned brightly both at academy level and for the senior side when entrusted with opportunity in the EFL Cup, leaving supporters demanding to see him on a more consistent basis while wondering why the Canaries decided to part ways in the first place.

The early evidence is that Reindorf looks ferociously talented, albeit - and naturally - a bit raw. Nonetheless, he brings endearing and integral qualities with his willingness to lead the press and chase lost causes.

His confidence and courage in possession is mightily impressive, too, and Cardiff fans were in awe when they saw the 19-year-old taking sheer liberties by shimmying and dancing past the Bristol Rovers defence on debut.

Supporters are desperate to see him handed a spot in the matchday squad over the aforementioned Kanga but, for one reason or another, both Erol Bulut and Omer Riza have not subscribed to that school of thought.

But like Ashford, Reindorf is gifted with a high footballing ceiling and Cardiff should know as much, meaning a loan departure in January may provide the best course of action for his immediate development.