Louie Barry in, Wilfried Kanga out: Cardiff City transfers we urge the club to make before February 3rd | OneFootball

FLW looks at some potential incomings and outgoings for Cardiff City in the January transfer window

After undertaking what restrospectively resembles a mixed and inconsistent, if not wholly frustrating, summer transfer window, Cardiff City have been exposed and punished accordingly during the first half of the 2024/25 Championship campaign and will be expected to right their wrongs when January comes around.

The Bluebirds welcomed eight fresh faces to the Cardiff City Stadium throughout the summer and added big-name signings in Callum Chambers and Anwar El Ghazi to complement a younger developing squad spine, which was enforced by the acquisitions of high-potential, long-term assets such as Alex Robertson, Will Fish and Jesper Daland.

But they sorely neglected to address the two perennial and pressing deficiencies in pace and goalscoring at the top-end of the pitch, with such shortcomings being painfully exposed on occasion this term. Once again, they find themselves in real relegation worry and must utilise the January transfer window for what it is - a shot at recruitment redemption.

It's going to be a big window for the Bluebirds and we've decided to run the rule over what an ideal January would resemble in the Welsh capital.

Louie Barry signs on loan from Aston Villa

We're getting the ball rolling with what would undoubtedly represent a dream signing for the Bluebirds, such is the ambition and initiative that would be required in order to out-muscle a host of Championship counterparts to land the signature of one of the hottest properties in the English Football League.

21-year-old sensation Louie Barry is finally vindicating his long-term promise on loan with League One promotion hopefuls Stockport County, having lit up Edgeley Park ever since his initial switch to the club at the start of last season following a series of less-fruitful spells with the likes of Ipswich Town, MK Dons, and Salford City.

At the time of writing, Barry is League One's leading goalscorer with all his goals coming from the wide-left in a front three. It must be said, the former West Bromwich Albion and Barcelona academy prospect resembles the full package.

He possesses frightening speed both in and out of possession, crucially when picking up the ball in the channels and driving forward at opposition full-backs. A naturally gifted athlete, Barry's agility and acceleration allow him to evade challenges at will, lead transitions and take the ball into dangerous areas, with his direct one-v-one wing play resulting in goals galore across the last year or so.

That profile is exactly what's needed in a Cardiff side which sorely lacks directness and end product, not least from wide areas. Therefore, they really must be eyeing a deal at the very least.

It looks like Barry will be heading to the Championship on loan in January, with recent reports detailing that parent club Aston Villa are eager to see how he fares at second-tier level amid interest from Middlesbrough, Sheffield Wednesday, and a host of other undisclosed suitors in the division.

Cardiff would face stiff competition for the fleet-footed forward but may stand a chance due to their productive recent history with top-flight loans, and they could just hope Villa keep the progression in South Wales of one such Jaden Philogene in mind.

Will Lankshear signs on loan from Tottenham Hotspur

It's not yet clear just how deep Vincent Tan's pockets are going to be in January but what we do know is that Cardiff fell short of optimising the top-flight loan market back in the summer and it would make perfect sense for them to plot a fresh stab at that.

Through the likes of Philogene, Tommy Doyle, and Cody Drameh, they're familiar with the plethora of available Premier League talent and it does feel very much their loss that they signed only one player on loan in the last window - more on him later.

However, if they're serious about reinforcing the striker stable then they should look no further than Tottenham Hotspur prospect Will Lankshear, who appears a serious talent in North London but would likely benefit from increased minutes elsewhere.

The 19-year-old striker scored 23 Premier League 2 goals in as many games last season and opened his professional account in a 3-2 Europa League defeat away to Galatasaray last month, in which he later received his marching orders.

He remains a part of Ange Postecogolou's first-team squad right now, though he's effectively fourth-choice behind Dominic Solanke, Timo Werner, and Richarlison. That's surely going to alert a range of Championship clubs ahead of January, and Cardiff need to push to the front of the queue given just how desperately they need to implement increased strength in depth behind Callum Robinson, who has been resurgent and is the side's top scorer but is carrying too much of the goalscoring burden at this moment in time.

The fitness of Richarlison could well be a deciding factor for Spurs, who won't want to leave themselves short up top by sanctioning a loan.

Alex Matos signs on loan from Chelsea

Admittedly, there is a strong sense of short-termism attached to the designs of signing no less than three players on loan in the second half of the Championship season, but Cardiff's contentious summer squad building and the consequential lowly league position necessitates quick fixes.

You wouldn't predict Cardiff to pull off all three signings, of course, but Alex Matos is the third and final player who should be on their January shopping list as he'd likely offer a new dimension to a midfield that is often played through far too easily by opponents.

The aforementioned Robertson has been a genuine star since his summer arrival from Manchester City while David Turnbull has enjoyed redemption to his Bluebirds career in Omer Riza's double-pivot alongside the Aussie prodigy, but Joe Ralls isn't getting any younger, Manolis Siopis has arguably gone a year without showing optimal form, and Andy Rinomhota appears to be a squad player at best.

It goes without saying that Robertson is a nailed-on starter. His composure, elegance and reading of the game both on and off the ball allows him to dictate the tempo, while his willingness to bomb forward and drift into pockets of space can often give Cardiff an extra attacking edge too - the chemistry between himself and Rubin Colwill is marvelous.

He's tenacious when required but his gifts really come in a technical, forward-thinking aspect, meaning Cardiff could do with instilling a more athletic, dogged and positionally pragmatic profile alongside him. That could well be Chelsea's Alex Matos, who impressed on loan at Huddersfield Town last season as his quality in breaking up play and a dogged midfield work-rate earned him plaudits.

The 20-year-old is currently on the periphery at Chelsea and finds himself stuck in their under-21 set-up, where he's accompanied by the likes of Harvey Vale and Deivid Washington, both of whom could also represent appeasing potential acquisitions for Cardiff next month.

Wilfried Kanga returns to Hertha Berlin

Make no bones about it, the loan signing of Wilfried Kanga has proved to be a huge disappointment and it's surely in the best interest of all parties for this unsuccessful association to be wrapped up and concluded sooner rather than later.

There was a fair degree of anticipation when Cardiff landed the two-cap Ivory Coast international on loan back in the summer but it hasn't gone to plan one bit. Kanga is yet to find the back of the net from 13 appearances, albeit just five of those have been starts and he hasn't made a starting eleven once since the sacking of Erol Bulut all the way back in September.

That's indicative of his situation, though. When Kanga has been brought on as a substitute, he simply hasn't offered near enough in the way of link-up play, involvement or pressing, failing to even get himself into positions that could promise to break his long-term goalscoring duck.

He's out of form and out of the side, which should mean Cardiff and Hertha Berlin can arrive at a swift agreement regarding his future.

Cian Ashford leaves Cardiff City on loan

A January loan departure may just be the best immediate port of call for Cian Ashford, who remains a promising talent but desperately needs regular minutes to kick on at a crucial juncture in his young career.

The 20-year-old forward burst onto the scene during the back-end of the previous campaign, where he notably scored his first professional goal by rifling home a 95th-minute winner in front of the Canton Stand to inspire a dramatic 2-1 victory over Russell Martin's Southampton back in April, but he's clearly not at the forefront of first-team plans at the minutes.

The arrivals of El Ghazi and Chris Willock have seemingly pushed the winger down in the pecking order and, with involvement arriving at such a premium this term, a loan exit would be rather sensible in a bid to show his worth and generate a tangible body of work in the senior game just as Joel Colwill is currently doing at Cheltenham Town.