"Ipswich are an attractive destination" - Cardiff City potentially facing Rubin Colwill saga | OneFootball

Ipswich Town are reportedly interested in Cardiff City midfielder Rubin Colwill.

Highlights

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Cardiff City will be hoping to challenge for promotion from the Championship next season.

The Bluebirds enjoyed a decent first year under Erol Bulut this season as they finished 12th in the table, and after he signed a new two-year contract at the Cardiff City Stadium, they will be hoping to kick on next term.

Ipswich Town eyeing move for Rubin Colwill

The likes of Rohan Luthra, Oliver Denham, Romaine Sawyers and Sheyi Ojo have left the club at the end of their contracts, but one player Cardiff will be desperate to keep hold of this summer is midfielder Rubin Colwill, who has starred in recent years after coming through the academy.

As well as impressing for Cardiff, Colwill has also established himself at international level for Wales, and he has scored once in nine appearances for Rob Page's side since making his debut in June 2021.

Colwill was linked with a move to Premier League runners-up Arsenal last month, and according to journalist Darren Witcoop, the midfielder is also on the radar of newly-promoted Ipswich Town, although he revealed he expects him to remain at Cardiff.

Ipswich an attractive move this summer

We asked some of our FLW writers for their thoughts on Colwill's potential move to Ipswich, and whether Cardiff should sell him this summer.

James Reeves

Cardiff supporters will be worried as speculation increases about Premier League interest in Colwill.

Colwill is a player with huge potential, and it is easy to see why he is attracting attention from top flight clubs.

The 22-year-old has impressed for the Bluebirds in recent years, but only 18 of his 40 appearances in all competitions came from the start this season, and there is a feeling that Bulut struggled to get the best out of him.

With that in mind, Ipswich could be the perfect move for Colwill as he would have the opportunity to develop under one of the brightest young managers in English football in Kieran McKenna, while he would have a better chance of more regular game time at Portman Road than at Arsenal.

Cardiff will be reluctant to lose one of their prized assets, and Bulut will demand a strong transfer window this summer after committing his future to the club, but the Tractor Boys could test their resolve.

The Bluebirds should do everything possible to keep hold of Colwill, but if Ipswich were to make a significant offer, they could be tempted to cash in on him.

Alfie Burns

One big positive for Cardiff here is that there appears to be an expectation that Colwill remains with the Bluebirds this summer. Given his age, where his development at club level is at the moment, the Championship is probably the best place for him.

However, learning that Kieran McKenna is an admirer of the 22-year-old will peak some interest on the player's part, you'd think.

McKenna leaves the EFL as something of a miracle worker, having taken Ipswich from the depths of League One to the Premier League in a short period of time. He's developed players with far less quality than Colwill into top-flight footballers, and he's a manager you'd want to work for.

Right now, Colwill's future is best served at Cardiff and getting the necessary game-time to develop, whilst pushing the Bluebirds into top-six contention.

In the back of his mind, though, a chance of working for McKenna and developing, with the lure of Premier League opportunities, might be difficult to turn down.

At the moment, there's probably not an awful lot to worry about from Cardiff's point of view, but Ipswich are looking an attractive destination with McKenna at the wheel and players across the EFL will be of a similar mind.

Whilst Cardiff will want to retain their player, if his head is turned, they might just offload.