Neil Warnock and Dean Saunders drop Cardiff City takeover claim | OneFootball

Neil Warnock and Dean Saunders have both discussed the ongoing takeover talk at League One side Cardiff City

Neil Warnock and Dean Saunders have both discussed the ongoing takeover talk at Cardiff City following the Bluebirds' relegation to League One, with a number of parties reportedly interested in purchasing the club from long-serving owner Vincent Tan.

Cardiff have returned to English football's third-tier for the first time in more than two decades after suffering relegation at the end of the 2024/25 Championship campaign, in which they finished dead-last to mark a historically-dismal campaign in the Welsh capital.

The Bluebirds swept through three separate managers as both Erol Bulut and Omer Riza failed to inspire the side up the table before Aaron Ramsey, then still under playing contract amid an extensive injury lay-off, traded the sidelines for the dugout ahead of Cardiff's final three remaining matches but was unable to keep his boyhood club in the division.

Away from the pitch, tensions reached something of a boiling point as long-held gripes towards the club's hierarchy - namely Vincent Tan alongside Mehmet Dalman [chairman] and Ken Choo [chief executive] - resulted in a number of supporter-led protests and open letters to the board.

The chief concern of fans was, and still is, the lack of tangible footballing strategy at boardroom level, with the need for a full-time sporting/technical director repeatedly emphasied, and the absence of one defined as a key reason behind Cardiff's continued flirtation with relegation and high turnover of both managers and the playing squad.

Supporters want to see Tan sell up after 15 years at the helm, a mixed reign which has borne two promotions to the Premier League - something which Cardiff had not done previously - but myriad controversies, too, most notably of all being the infamous rebrand of the badge club's home shirt to red.

In recent times, talk of a potential takeover has gathered pace and former Real Madrid and Wales superstar Gareth Bale, backed by a US-based consortium, has made little secret of his desire to help purchase his hometown club, while South African-born investor Gary Otto is also reported to hold an interest in buying the Bluebirds.

Neil Warnock and Dean Saunders discuss potential Cardiff City takeover

Now, both Warnock and Saunders have shared their thoughts on the ongoing takeover saga in the Welsh capital.

Warnock, of course, remains fondly remembered in this corner of the world after enjoying a glorious three-year spell in charge of the side between 2016 and 2019, in which he notably inspired Cardiff to an unlikely promotion to the Premier League alongside Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 2017/18 campaign.

The duo were speaking to Alan Brazil on talkSPORT's Breakfast Show, and both lauded the stature of Cardiff as a club. Warnock described Cardiff as a "fabulous club", while ex-Wales international Saunders noted the Bluebirds' potential under potential new ownership.

"Cardiff's the capital of Wales, obviously, and it's got massive support. Neil's been the manager there," Saunders explained.

"If somebody came to me and said "shall I buy Cardiff City?", I'd go "yeah, if you get it at the right price because that club can go all the way up."

Warnock added: "It's a fabulous club, and the fans are unbelievable. My daughters, they go up there regularly for the weekend."

Cardiff City has undoubted potential - Vincent Tan may need to sell for it to be realised

Tan is perhaps doing more for Cardiff than some may realise, and it's difficult to ignore the Bluebirds' successes under his ownership in years gone by.

Indeed, the Malaysian businessman, despite making significant losses both on Cardiff and in other businesses, is still ensuring the club's financial security, with the last available set of accounts for the 2023-24 financial year revealing that, along with a pre-tax loss of £11.6 million on a turnover of £23.2 million, Tan is owed £68 million - that simply cannot be downplayed.

However, from a footballing perspective, the Bluebirds are well below their potential.

By stature, if not by league standing, Cardiff is not a third-tier club - a fairly-recent history of consistently competing in the higher echelons of the Championship, a 33,000-capacity stadium which also houses the Welsh national side and a large, fiercely-passionate and loyal fanbase are just three factors that support the clear potential of the club, which many believe is being restricted by Tan.