Football League World
·9 October 2024
Cardiff City need not have Vincent Tan fear as they eye Reading FC raid: View
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·9 October 2024
Cardiff City should not be concerned about how potential new manager Ruben Selles would work with Vincent Tan after his experience at Reading.
Cardiff City are on the hunt for a new manager following the sacking of Erol Bulut.
Bulut guided Cardiff to a respectable 12th-placed finish in the Championship last season, and there was hope that the club could kick on under his guidance after a strong summer transfer window that saw the arrival of eight new signings, including high-profile additions such as Calum Chambers, Chris Willock and Anwar El Ghazi.
However, it did not work out that way, and Bulut was dismissed last month after his side picked up just one point from their opening six league games of the season.
Omer Riza has been in caretaker charge of the Bluebirds since Bulut's departure, and he has confirmed that he is keen to land the permanent job, but despite the fact the 44-year-old has overseen an upturn in form in recent weeks, it seems the club are weighing up an external appointment.
According to the Daily Mirror, former Sunderland and Birmingham City manager Tony Mowbray has been sounded out about taking over at the Cardiff City Stadium, while Steven Schumacher, Alex Neil and Charlton Athletic boss Nathan Jones are also under consideration.
Another potential candidate emerged on Tuesday, with Wales Online claiming that Reading manager Ruben Selles has been discussed by the Cardiff hierarchy, but Slaven Bilic has been ruled out of contention as he is believed to have commitments until January. Doubt is also raised over Selles' ability to work with Vincent Tan.
A decision on Bulut's permanent replacement is expected to be made over the international break, and it is a huge decision facing the Bluebirds board with the club currently sitting bottom of the Championship table, three points from safety.
It is undoubtedly a big job facing whoever becomes Cardiff's next manager, and while there are a number of credible names in the frame, Selles' experience of navigating off-field issues at Reading could make him a sensible choice.
It is fair to say that Cardiff owner Vincent Tan is something of a controversial figure, and there is a perception that he can be difficult to work with at times.
That is best underlined by the fact that six different managers - Neil Harris, Mick McCarthy, Steve Morison, Mark Hudson, Sabri Lamouchi and Bulut - have taken charge of the Bluebirds since Neil Warnock's exit in November 2019, although that perhaps says more about his poor track record of appointments.
Cardiff supporters may be concerned about how their next manager will cope working under Tan, but they should have no such fears if Selles was to get the job given the incredible way he has handled Reading's nightmare ownership situation over the past year, despite those suggestions he'd struggle with Tan.
Selles took over at the Select Car Leasing Stadium last summer following the club's relegation from the Championship, and he managed to build a competitive squad on a limited budget, bringing in the likes of Charlie Savage, Lewis Wing, Ben Elliott, Harvey Knibbs and Sam Smith, who have all gone on to become mainstays in the team.
The Spaniard faced a number of challenges last season, but despite suffering a six-point deduction, he comfortably led the Royals to safety as they finished 17th in the table, and his side were one of the form teams in the division in the second half of the campaign.
Selles was only able to bring in one new player this summer, and he also lost star winger Femi Azeez to Millwall, but he has continued to deliver results, with Reading currently sitting 16th, just three points from the play-off places.
It had seemed as though Selles was considering his future last month after he admitted that the ongoing ownership uncertainty at the club was "exhausting" following the collapse of Rob Couhig's proposed takeover, but he continues to show remarkable loyalty in a situation that many other managers would likely have walked away from a long time ago.
Whether Selles would be keen to swap one challenging ownership regime at Reading for another at Cardiff remains to be seen, particularly after news of a potential takeover breakthrough for the Royals emerged this week, but if he has managed to work under Dai Yongge for almost 15 months, he is more than capable of working under Tan, who would at least be willing to provide him with greater backing in the transfer market.