Callum Robinson? The 5 Cardiff City players that need to prove a point in pre-season or risk 2024/25 axe | OneFootball

Erol Bulut will be running the rule over the Cardiff City squad during the off-season, where some simply must show their worth

There are a number of Bluebirds players who find themselves with a real point to prove ahead of the 2024/25 EFL Championship campaign.

Now that clarity and continuity has been granted to manager Erol Bulut in the form of a fresh two-year contract, Cardiff City will undoubtedly occupy their focus upon bolstering the squad across the summer transfer window.

Indeed, following a respectable - and refreshingly stable - 12th placed finish last term, Cardiff will rightly have designs on challenging for play-off contention when next season rolls around.

But if Cardiff are to even threaten to realise such ambitions, squad surgery is needed with both incomings and outgoings.

Whilst it feels inevitable that the Welsh outfit will be in the market for at least two strikers, a selection of creative wide players and further reinforcements in the midfield engine room, for example, the obstacle of Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) also demands that the exit door remains firmly active.

Those strict regulations were heavily restrictive to Cardiff’s activity in the January window, and they will be hoping for no such trials and tribulations this time around.

Just as arrivals can be anticipated in the coming weeks and months, the same can also be said for prospective outgoings - although a positive pre-season could well change that for a selection of Cardiff’s peripheral players.

Here, we take a look at the players with a point to prove…

Callum Robinson

Experienced forward Callum Robinson has endured a real fall from grace in the Welsh Capital.

Robinson, who has 49 second-tier strikes to his name across spells with Cardiff, West Bromwich Albion and Preston North End, played a significant role in securing the Bluebirds’ survival in the 2022/23 season.

A healthy return of five goals and six assists despite only featuring in 26 league matches - a goal involvement every 148 minutes on average - supplemented much-needed firepower and ingenuity into a frontline that has sorely lacked both in years gone by.

But unfortunately for Robinson, he was deprived of a full pre-season to win over new boss Bulut owing to injury and virtually a year on, he’s still yet to.

Bulut called Robinson’s work ethic into question during the early stages of the campaign amid a collective clamour for the Republic of Ireland international to feature more, though he failed to impress even when on the pitch.

One goal and two assists last time out represents the worst record of Robinson’s Championship career since the 2014/15 season, while further disciplinary issues have also seen him come under criticism from Bulut on more than one occasion.

Make no mistake about it, Robinson is a talented player who, at his best, offers a new dimension to Cardiff’s attack and can be a genuine match-winner.

No player at the club has scored more Championship goals than him either.

Though, with an evidently disharmonious relationship with Bulut alongside stiff competition for Robinson’s favoured position - the ‘number 10’ role behind the striker - it feels as though he may have to enforce an almighty impression in pre-season, otherwise an exit feels rather natural.

Kion Etete

It’s also gearing up to be a significant pre-season for Kion Etete who, two years after signing in an exciting deal from Tottenham Hotspur, is yet to take off in south Wales.

Across that time, the ex-Cheltenham and Northampton Town loanee has returned just six league goals - three in each season, and both from 28 matches apiece.

In fairness to Etete, his progress has been occasionally hampered by injuries and the sheer difficulty of adapting to the second-tier has also been clear, but now, Cardiff find themselves in a position where they simply will demand more from the 22-year-old.

Evidently envisaged as a long-term investment from the club, it’s time for Etete to finally vindicate that promise and stamp his authority on Championship defences.

While the outcome of his pre-season may not necessarily incline towards a potential sale as with others who feature on this list, it will likely dictate his role in the club’s pecking order next term.

Mahlon Romeo

Akin to the aforementioned Robinson, former Millwall right-back Romeo encountered disciplinary issues last season and sorely struggled for regular minutes owing to the form of Perry Ng, who conducted a clean sweep at the club’s end-of-season awards gala and registered the most goal involvements (10) all the way from the back four.

It would, however, be little surprise to see Ng earn a top-flight transfer as a result, which could well restart Romeo’s Cardiff career.

Ultimately, Romeo likely needs to catch the eye in pre-season regardless of where Ng ends up plying his trade in the 2024/25 season, especially given the exciting emergence of academy product Raheem Conte at the end of last term.

Indeed, some will argue that the writing is firmly on the wall either way, but Romeo will be hoping that a strong pre-season showing can resurrect his fortunes at the club.

David Turnbull

It’s safe to rule out a sale for David Turnbull, who only joined the club in January following four fruitful years north of the border with Scottish giants Celtic.

He’s still only 24 too, which encourages future resale value and an undoubted ceiling.

Yet, supporters expected much more when the Scot arrived in Wales.

Turnbull is yet to return a goal contribution from open play for the Bluebirds, whilst he has also completed the full 90 minutes on just two occasions - starting eleven matches overall.

The concern lies with whether his importance to Bulut’s side will grow next season.

A technically-gifted though often languid midfielder, Turnbull doesn’t align with Bulut’s playing style, which favours dynamic and energetic ball-winning operators in the middle of the park.

Slightly further forward, he faces serious competition from reported Ipswich Town transfer target Rubin Colwill and the returning Aaron Ramsey, who missed the vast majority of his homecoming campaign through injury but will be difficult to keep on the bench when fully fit.

With that in mind, pre-season once again appears crucial for Turnbull if he is to really put down his mark on the Cardiff side.

Ollie Tanner

The 2023/24 pre-season provided elevation to Ollie Tanner’s Cardiff career, foreshadowing his heroics in the hotly-contested South Wales Derby that September.

This time around, it may be equally important.

Like Etete, Tanner’s time with the club isn’t necessarily in the balance as much as Romeo or Robinson, but a strong showing in pre-season could likely be the difference between remaining in the first-team fold or falling down the pecking order and even finding himself sent out on loan.

Last season was one of turbulence for Tanner, who impressed at times with his directness in 1v1 situations but still appeared equally raw and struggled to establish any real consistency.

An influx of wing options this summer could see Tanner's stock fall in Cardiff, so he will be vying for an impressive pre-season to remain in Bulut's immediate thinking.