Neil Warnock hit Cardiff City jackpot for £0 - nobody expected Nathaniel Mendez-Laing impact | OneFootball

Neil Warnock and Cardiff City hit the jackpot by signing Nathaniel Mendez-Laing for free in 2017.

Cardiff City hit the jackpot when they signed Rochdale winger Nathaniel Mendez-Laing on a free transfer in 2017, after two solid seasons in League One.

When the Bluebirds signed Mendez-Laing as a free agent in the summer of 2017, many turned a blind eye on the deal, as he wasn't expected to do much for the Welsh club, but that proved to be wrong.

The winger got off to an electric start in South Wales, with four goals in his opening four games, including a brace against Aston Villa.

It's fair to say this success was rather unexpected, as Mendez-Laing had spent most of his career floating around in League One and League Two, and had suddenly transitioned into one of the most feared wide players in the Championship.

Whilst Cardiff haven't experienced much joy in the transfer market in recent years, the deal to bring the Rochdale star to the club was certainly one to remember for all supporters.

Nathaniel Mendez-Laing's unexpected rise to Cardiff City stardom

Having bounced around in League One and League Two for the majority of his career, not much was expected of Mendez-Laing when he put pen to paper on a deal at the Cardiff City Stadium in 2017, after leaving Rochdale.

However, he quickly made everyone stand up and take notice, kicking off the 2017/18 campaign with four goals in his first four games, including an excellent brace against promotion rivals Aston Villa.

Mendez-Laing was electric in his first season with the Bluebirds, providing a real threat down the wings for Neil Warnock, and chipping in with six goals and six assists as Cardiff won automatic promotion back to the Premier League.

Whilst he missed a good portion of the next season in the top flight through injury, the Birmingham-born winger went on to provide some special moments for his club, including a brace at Old Trafford, but he was unable to help them beat the drop.

The goals and assists unfortunately dried up when Cardiff were relegated back to the Championship, before his time at the club came to a rather bitter end, after he was released for an alleged breach of contract.

Whilst his time in South Wales came to a really disappointing end, it's fair to say Mendez-Laing smashed everyone's expectations in his short and sweet time at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Neil Warnock struck gold with Mendez-Laing transfer

Beloved manager Warnock has plenty of transfer stories to tell throughout his illustrious career in English football, and that of Mendez-Laing at Cardiff will certainly be one of his most memorable ones.

Picking up the Guatemalan for free was a low-risk-high-reward move from the veteran manager, which ultimately proved to have a huge impact on City's promotion hopes, as they'd failed to mount a challenge in previous years.

Mendez-Laing was the catalyst to Cardiff's success in the 2017/18 season, offering speed, directness, and a great creative outlet on the wing that caught many Championship and Premier League defenders off guard.

It's fair to say that Warnock unearthed a gem in Mendez-Laing, who took the Championship by storm, and played a huge part in getting the Bluebirds back to the Premier League, all whilst he cost them absolutely nothing to bring in.