Cardiff City hit the jackpot with £350k Wolves transfer agreement: View | OneFootball

Cardiff City hit the jackpot when they signed Jay Bothroyd from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The forward joined the Bluebirds in the summer of 2008, fighting off interest from newly-promoted Premier League side Hull City. They forked out £350,000 for the striker, who had a controversial career up to that point.

Bothroyd was sold by Arsenal in 2000 after reportedly throwing his shirt at a coach during a youth cup match, and played alongside Colonel Gaddafi's son while with Perugia in Italy.

He bounced around clubs, eventually settling at Wolves before making the move to Cardiff. As it turns out, the transfer would work out well for both the club and the player in his three-year spell at Cardiff.

Bothroyd became a top Championship striker while at Cardiff City

Bothroyd joined Cardiff after their FA Cup Final defeat in 2008, and quickly became one of the top strikers at the club. The tall forward scored 12 times in his debut Championship campaign, as well as contributing six assists.

He finished as the club's top scorer that season, and forged a fantastic partnership up front with returning fan-favourite Michael Chopra. The pair scored 21 league goals between them, as they helped the Bluebirds to a seventh-place finish under manager Dave Jones.

The forward added 11 more goals the following year, while also racking up an impressive 15 assists, as Peter Whittingham netted 20 league goals in one of the most impressive Championship seasons the club had ever seen.

His final season with the Bluebirds was his most impressive. Bothroyd started the season with 15 goals in 16 matches, launching the Bluebirds into promotion contention. They battled QPR for the bulk of the season for the top spot, but a bad run of form in the second half of the campaign saw them finish in the play-off places.

Bothroyd's form even earned him a shock England call-up. Due to a host of injuries, he was called up by manager Fabio Capello in 2010, coming on as a substitute against France in a friendly match. In doing so, he became the first Cardiff player to win a cap for England in the club's history.

He scored 41 times in his three years with Cardiff, adding an impressive 30 assists in 116 matches.

Bothroyd struggles after leaving Cardiff City

Despite having his best season yet and making a surprise England debut, Bothroyd failed to agree a new deal with the Bluebirds, leaving the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2011.

He became just one of the multitude of signings made by QPR upon their return to the Premier League. Alongside new signings Djibrl Cisse and Bobby Zamora, he occupied a space in a heavily-crowded front line at Loftus Road.

This meant he had very few opportunities to impress for QPR, and his goal return shows that. Bothroyd played just 25 league matches for QPR in a two-year spell, with just three goals to his name. He had a short loan spell with Sheffield Wednesday, but spent the bulk of his career after that playing in Japan and Thailand.

Bothroyd struggled after leaving Cardiff, but his move from Wolves proved to be an absolute bargain for the Bluebirds and one that will be fondly remembered by both parties, despite what happened next.