Cardiff City's chances of appointing Slaven Bilic become clearer | OneFootball

Cardiff City are unlikely to appoint Slaven Bilic, who has been linked with the job as of late

Slaven Bilic has been linked with the Cardiff City job as of late, although any move to the Welsh capital now feels highly unlikely following a crucial development.

The ex-Watford and West Ham United manager is currently out of work after leaving Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Fateh in August. However, according to former WalesOnline journalist Paul Abbandonato, Bilic has "committed to something until January".

It remains unclear just what the 56-year-old has committed to, though it doubtless makes Cardiff's prospects of landing him appear rather remote now.

Cardiff are accelerating their search for a 12th permanent managerial appointment in just 14 years, and their seventh since relegation from the Premier League in 2019. First-team coach Omer Riza has taken the job on an interim basis amid Cardiff's ongoing efforts to replace Erol Bulut, who was handed his marching orders last month following a miserable run of five defeats from his opening six games of the new league season.

Riza has generally performed a solid audition in his three matches in charge, guiding Cardiff to their first win of the season over Millwall last week before coming away from Sunday afternoon's Severnside Derby showdown at Bristol City with a point - although many felt it really should have been all three.

Cardiff City receive Slaven Bilic blow

As revealed by Abbandonato, Bilic's fresh commitments have thrown a real spanner in the works to Cardiff's chances of pulling off the appointment.

They would, of course, have to persist with Riza until the new year at the very least. The 43-year-old is believed to be in contention for the job, although a host of names are being considered, and it does appear more likely that Cardiff will make an external appointment during October's international break.

That appointment, though, is not expected to be Bilic. The Croat, who won promotion from the Championship with West Bromwich Albion in 2020, suddenly emerged as the bookmaker's favourite earlier this week and has admirers at Cardiff.

As per WalesOnline's Glen Williams, Bilic is well-liked among club insiders, who believe Cardiff need a manager with a strong sense of personality, assuredness and experience to succeed and handle the internal and external pressures which accompany managing in the Welsh capital.

Those skills, then, will surely form a crucial part of the criteria used to assess forthcoming candidates, with Cardiff said to be working their way through a steadily-devised long-list of potential appointments. Interestingly, Abbandonato has claimed elsewhere that Cardiff's initial shortlist was extremely underwhelming.

According to Williams' aforementioned report, which also played down the potential appointments of Bilic, Nathan Jones and Steven Schumacher, the Bluebirds are currently considering a move for Reading boss Ruben Selles. Abbandonato has provided an update on Selles, claiming that there are concerns about whether the Spaniard, who has dealt with a torrid ownership regime in Berkshire, can handle controversial owner Vincent Tan.

He has also added that Cardiff are discussing an undisclosed former Manchester United player, who is not believed to be ex-Wales boss Ryan Giggs.

Latest Cardiff City managerial updates are positive

Many supporters have taken to social media to criticise the club for their lack of urgency in hiring an appointment, and the provision of an extended list of managers nearly three weeks on from Bulut's dismissal. Of course, fans had rightly feared the lack of a contingency plan at the time, and it is clear that Cardiff did not have a tangible succession strategy.

Frustration towards that, then, is not unwarranted. Cardiff desperately need stability and strategy, although that will not be achieved by rushing into an appointment either.

They have been guilty of doing exactly that in years gone by, which has contributed in part to the significant managerial turnover across recent seasons. Taking time may be the best call of duty at this stage, despite the growing impatience from supporters.

Given Cardiff's precarious league position - they still find themselves rooted to the foot of the Championship despite claiming four points from their last two outings - the importance of getting the next appointment right cannot be understated.

Under no circumstances can Cardiff wind up in genuine contention to suffer an eerie relegation to the third-tier of English football; getting a manager who can wade off that threat and develop the long-term foundations for success while exerting the strength of character and fortitude to contend with the natural trials and tribulations of the job is imperative.

It would be a source of further frustration if Cardiff completed the two-week international break without a new permanent manager in the dugout, a scenario which would mark a month of Riza's tenure with the club.

Fans are understandably apprehensive about the prospect of Riza earning the job on a permanent basis given the lack of success yielded by previous internal appointments and the calibre of available candidates, so that is also a situation which Cardiff would perhaps do well to avoid.

However, time is on their side and playing it patiently - to some extent, of course - could prove to be the most sensible option right now. But, make no mistake about it, that time needs to be used wisely and with intent.