Cardiff City's 8 biggest transfer flops that supporters will want to forget | OneFootball

Highlights

It's inevitable in football that not every signing you make will be a success and all clubs have signed players that failed to live up to expectations.

Cardiff City fans will likely look back at the likes of Sol Bamba, Aron Gunnarsson, and Victor Camarasa when they think of signings but there have been plenty of flops along the way too.

We've picked out eight of the worst...

Andreas Cornelius

The Danish international striker joined the Bluebirds from FC Copenhagen as a 20-year-old after Cardiff's promotion to the Premier League in 2013. Cornelius' arrival in the Welsh capital for a fee of around £8 million was met with huge excitement as the Dane was seen as one of the most promising young strikers in European football.

Cornelius signed a five-year deal with the Bluebirds but would suffer an ankle injury in pre-season which kept him out of Cardiff's opening Premier League games. He made his first start for Cardiff in the League Cup against Accrington Stanley where he aggravated his previous injury and was stretchered off.

Despite signing a five-year deal in the summer of 2013, Cornelius would depart Cardiff without scoring a goal in January 2014, returning to his native Denmark with FC Copenhagen. Spells at Atalanta, Bordeaux, Parma, and Trabonzspor would follow before a return to Copenhagen in 2022.

Javi Guerra

The Spaniard joined the Bluebirds in 2014 with a good reputation after experience playing at the highest level for clubs like Valencia, Mallorca, Levante, and Real Valladolid.

The striker was signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but only managed three substitute appearances in the Championship and two League Cup starts in the first half of the season where he failed to find the back of the net.

Solskjaer was replaced by Russell Slade who shipped the Spaniard on loan to Malaga in January 2015. He left the Bluebirds permanently that summer when he joined Rayo Vallecano.

Jack Simpson

The English-born defender joined the Bluebirds from Rangers in the summer of 2022. Simpson made 21 appearances across all competitions during the 2022/23 campaign in a Bluebirds side that finished just outside the Championship relegation zone in 21st.

However, after just two appearances in 2023/2, which included an error to lose the game away at Leicester, Simpson had his contract terminated on the 31st August and Simpson was later charged by the FA for alleged use of racist language towards a team-mate on the squad's pre-season tour to Portugal.

Simpson remains a free agent.

English striker Madine joined Cardiff from Bolton Wanderers in the January of Cardiff's 2017/18 Championship promotion season. The Gateshead-born striker failed to score a goal for the Bluebirds and missed a crucial penalty in a game against Wolverhampton Wanderers in April 2018.

Madine played a bit-part role for the Bluebirds during the first half of their 2018/19 Premier League campaign before spending the rest of that season on loan at Sheffield United who subsequently gained promotion to the Premier League.

He returned to the Bluebirds for the start of the 2019/20 Championship campaign and played just nine times in all competitions that season before having his contract terminated in January 2020. Madine then joined Blackpool where he remained until this summer.

Vontae Daley-Campbell

22-year-old defender Daley-Campbell joined the Bluebirds from Leicester City in the summer of 2022 with a reputation as a player for the future.

The London-born defender had played a full 90 minutes for Leicester in an FA Cup win against Brighton and had spent time playing in the Scottish Premiership on loan at Dundee.

However, the move to Cardiff has proved unsuccessful with Daley-Campbell playing just twice for the Bluebirds last season. This season has proved even less fruitful with the defender failing to make a Championship squad. He looks destined to leave in January.

Stephen Bywater

Goalkeeper Bywater joined the Bluebirds on loan in March 2011 from Derby County after first-choice 'keepers Tom Heaton and David Marshall got injured during the season.

Cardiff reached the play-off semi-finals where they faced Reading for a place at Wembley. A 0-0 draw at the Madjeski Stadium meant it was all to play for when Cardiff hosted Reading at the Cardiff City Stadium, however, a disastrous display from Bywater contributed to a 3-0 defeat which meant the Royals advanced to Wembley where they'd face Cardiff's bitter rivals, Swansea City.

He returned to Derby where his contract was terminated just months later.

Fréderick Gounongbe

Benin international Gounongbe joined the Bluebirds in the summer of 2016 from Belgian side Westerlo.

The striker featured just 15 times across two seasons and failed to register a goal or assist. He was released at the end of the 2017/18 season where he subsequently retired from football on medical advice.

Wilfred Zaha

Best known for his successful spells at Crystal Palace, Zaha spent the second half of the 2013/14 season on loan at Cardiff from Manchester United as a 21-year-old.

Despite his obvious talent, he was nowhere near his best in South Wales. He registered no goals and just one assist at Cardiff as they finished bottom of the Premier League.