Exclusive: Sky Sports pundit drops claim on Chris Willock's Cardiff City situation | OneFootball

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman spoke exclusively to Football League World about Cardiff City winger Chris Willock, who has struggled this season

It has been a historically-dismal and disappointing campaign for Cardiff City, who are increasingly likely to drop into League One for the first time since its inception and sour the club's 125th-year anniversary with relegation.

The Bluebirds have, truth be told, failed to really recover from the abject start to the campaign under Erol Bulut, who was relieved of his duties all the way back in September.

But, for large parts, Omer Riza has been unable to reinspire the side and Cardiff are now staring down the barrel of relegation to the third-tier, having fallen into the drop zone with just four tricky fixtures to spare, amid a wretched run of form at the worst possible time, following Saturday afternoon's tame 1-0 defeat to fellow strugglers Stoke City.

Understandably, supporters have levelled serious criticism towards Riza and, fundamentally, the key decision-makers at boardroom level - namely controversial owner Vincent Tan along with Mehmet Dalman and Ken Choo. But it would be dearly amiss to ignore just how many players have fallen short of really showing up and contributing this term, too.

Much was anticipated when Cardiff pulled off what appeared to be a statement of intent by poaching Chris Willock on a free transfer from fellow Championship rivals QPR last summer.

A household name in the second-tier, the talented winger's final season in West London had been blighted by inconsistency, but his quality remained - and continues to be - in little doubt.

There was hope that Cardiff could reignite the spark of a player proven to be, on his day, right up there with the Championship's best.

However, it hasn't happened and Cardiff aren't even seeing glimpses of that talent, with Willock unable to force his way into a side with the joint-fewest wins across the entire Championship. That's a damning indictment.

Willock has made 28 appearances this term, though just 15 of those have been starts. Four of those starts came in Bulut's opening six games before his sacking, and Willock has only managed to return two goals and an assist.

He has not started a league match in close to two months - an underwhelming hour against Hull City on February 25 - and his last appearance came as a substitute for the final 20 minutes of Cardiff's beleaguered 1-0 home defeat to Luton Town over a month ago.

Willock, who has lost his place to gifted Leicester City loanee Will Alves along with academy product Cian Ashford in recent weeks, may potentially find himself at a career crossroads, with his current situation at Cardiff marking a stark contrast from some of his rosier days at Loftus Road.

Don Goodman assesses Chris Willock's Cardiff City situation

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Don Goodman lamented Willock's lack of consistency - a recurring theme throughout much of the former Arsenal prospect's career, of course.

The Sky Sports pundit believes it's now up to the winger to revitalise his career as he enters his prime years at the age of 27.

"There are so many lads with so much ability that just don't find that consistency, Chris Willock is one that falls into that category," Goodman told FLW.

"When I look at his career, I see one pretty exceptional season in 21/22 for QPR where he scored seven goals and got 11 assists, but other than that, I just see a mishmash of underwhelming statistics.

"When you look at the fact that Cardiff have struggled this season, he's been involved in 28 matches and only started 15, clearly Omer Riza doesn't see somebody he feels is reliable.

"I guess really, it boils down to Willock's motivations to get back to the levels he once was. He's 27 years old now, these are supposed to be his prime years, so I think the ball is very much in Willock's court."

Cardiff City and Chris Willock may both look for transfer exit this summer

Cardiff's wage bill is estimated to be the seventh-highest in the league - as per Capology - and it's a squad littered with big names and profiles by second-tier standards, meaning a significant squad exodus will surely be anticipated in the very-plausible event of relegation.

Whereas the likes of Yousef Salech, Callum Robinson and Alex Robertson have perhaps each done enough to earn attention elsewhere and merit potential moves away this summer, Willock hasn't been so impressive.

His reputation and pedigree could prompt a number of Championship clubs to roll the dice, just as Cardiff themselves did less than twelve months ago, but equally, Willock's stock has only fallen further and it would be equally unsurprising to see the attacker short of suitors.

Whether Willock himself would even be willing to play in League One remains unclear, but you wouldn't put your money on it. Undeniably gifted, Willock's technical quality has been visible on occasion this season, though far too infrequently for a player of his class, and who was expected to incorporate a degree of real X-Factor into this Cardiff side.

Supporters have already tipped Cardiff to look to offload Willock if relegation is confirmed, but considering how his stay in the Welsh capital has played out, that may be an outcome that doesn't necessarily hinge on their divisional status for 2025/26.