Cardiff City chiefs would surely live to regret Slaven Bilic call despite recent comments | OneFootball

Cardiff City should not rush into appointing Slaven Bilic as their new manager after he confirmed he is keen to return to work.

Cardiff City are still searching for a new permanent manager following the sacking of Erol Bulut.

Bulut led Cardiff to a respectable 12th-placed finish in the Championship last season but he was sacked last month after his side picked up just one point from their first six league games of the new campaign.

Omer Riza has been in caretaker charge since Bulut's exit and the 44-year-old has inspired a remarkable turnaround in fortunes to guide the Bluebirds out of the relegation zone.

Cardiff extended their unbeaten run to five games with an impressive 0-0 draw against promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Saturday, and they currently sit 20th in the table, one point clear of the bottom three.

Riza has made it clear that he would like to land the job on a permanent basis, but a host of external names have been linked with the Bluebirds in recent weeks, including Steven Schumacher, Tony Mowbray, Alex Neil, Claude Makelele, Nathan Jones, Ruben Selles and Slaven Bilic.

Bilic has been out of work since being sacked by Saudi Arabian side Al-Fateh in August, just a week before the start of the new season, and it had been claimed that he had commitments until January that would have prevented him from taking charge at the Cardiff City Stadium immediately.

However, Bilic denied those rumours, claiming that while he is enjoying his time away from management, he is ready to return if the right opportunity arises.

"At the moment I like it at home, but of course I'm ready to work," Bilic said, quoted by Birmingham Live.

"I'm at a good age and part of me would work, but I'm waiting for a good opportunity. For the meantime, I am enjoying this. I am still working with [coaches] Danilo [Butorovic] and Dean [Racunica], I have good people around me."

Bilic had been in charge of Al-Fateh since July 2023, and he led them to a seventh-placed finish in the Saudi Pro League last season before his surprise departure in the summer, while he has previously managed Hajduk Split, Lokomotiv Moscow, Besiktas, West Ham United, Al-Ittihad, West Brom, Beijing Guoan, Watford and the Croatia national team.

Cardiff City must be cautious over Slaven Bilic move

It is easy to see why Bilic is on Cardiff's radar and he is a credible candidate for the job but the board must be careful about making a move for the Croatian, particularly given the recent improvement under Riza.

The Bluebirds know the risks of appointing a caretaker on a permanent basis, having done so with both Steve Morison and Mark Hudson in recent years, and it has been a sensible move not to hand Riza the full-time job just yet, despite the upturn in form.

However, it would be a big mistake for Cardiff to cut his caretaker spell short while the form is so strong and they should wait to see if his impact can continue over the coming weeks before making any decisions over the managerial position.

Riza has picked up 11 points from his six games in temporary charge, but the Bluebirds remain just one point above the relegation zone, so making the wrong appointment now could risk putting them in serious danger.

Having won automatic promotion with West Brom in the 2019-20 season, Bilic has a strong track record in the Championship, so he could prove to be an excellent choice for Cardiff, but the 56-year-old's recent jobs do raise some doubts over his suitability for the role.

Bilic lasted just 36 games at Al-Fateh, while he took charge of Watford and Beijing Guoan for 26 and 22 matches respectively, so his lack of longevity should be a concern for the Bluebirds, who have had far too much managerial upheaval of their own in recent years.

However, in Croat's defence, he did a good job at Al-Fateh overall, and given that they are now bottom of the Saudi Pro League with just four points from their first eight games, they may regret parting company with him.

Cardiff may need to consider an external appointment if their form begins to decline under Riza, but he has certainly earned an extended run as caretaker, and they must not rush into approaching Bilic, despite his recent hints that he is keen to return to management.