"Priority has to be" - Cardiff City, Vincent Tan sent clear transfer message ahead of January | OneFootball

FLW's resident Cardiff City pundit gave his take on what the Bluebirds priority needs to be this January.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The Championship table is something that Cardiff City will want to avoid looking at, with Omer Riza's side currently occupying 21st place.

This season they have managed just four wins from 20 games, and have lost some crucial fixtures in recent weeks to the likes of Preston North End and Queens Park Rangers.

Looking ahead to the weekend, they have a match against league leaders Sheffield United, so it won't prove simple to get any points out of that game.

Clearly, improvements are needed across the board, and with the January window just weeks away, it will be crucial for Cardiff to make some moves this window if they are to avoid relegation and secure their Championship status.

Cardiff urged to sign a new striker

Football League World quizzed their resident Cardiff fan pundit, Jack Price, where he thought the Bluebirds' priority should be this window and why it is so important they target that position.

He said: "The number one priority has to be getting another striker in.

"There are naturally a number of areas across the pitch that require improvement: another defensive midfielder to allow Alex Robertson the licence to go forward. You could argue for another attacking midfielder to challenge Ruben Colwill, who has dropped off of late, and we could do with another winger if not two.

"A lot of work to be done, but getting a striker in is the most important task.

"We are struggling in front of goal once again, and it is no surprise given that we signed only one striker for this season, with Roko Simic going out on loan immediately. That man was Wilfried Kanga, who, unfortunately, has been a real disaster of a signing. He is yet to open his account and hasn't had a sniff under Omer Riza, but when he came off the bench, he offered nothing.

"We have had a lot of strikers in the past who haven't found the net prolifically but have always added something; whether that is pace in behind or a physical or aerial presence. He isn't bringing any of that to the table, and he is a bit-part player, so it is pretty obvious he is going to get recalled by Hertha Berlin.

"Callum Robinson is leading the line at the moment and, although he has been fairly prolific, the goals have dried up of late for him too. His problems with fitness are well-documented, and he is also out of contract at the end of the season, so it isn't clear if he is going to stay on.

"Beneath them (Robinson and Kanga), you have Isaak Davies and Kion Etete, who both haven’t kicked a ball this season after picking up injuries in pre-season. Davies, in particular, was poised to have a big part to play but, through no fault of his own, hasn't had the chance to assert himself.

"We are so short-staffed and the existing options that we currently have don't have the quality, apart from Robinson and perhaps Davies.

"Although there are more fundamental issues with the way the side is set up and the lack of creativity, we need the right profile of striker who can create his own opportunities.

"You would want it to be a permanent arrival given how many strikers are out of contract in the summer. We need to get it done, and it will likely dictate what league we play in next season."

Cardiff need to find form quickly

Having given Riza a permanent contract till the end of the season, Vincent Tan will be hoping that the former Shrewsbury Town player can turn it around.

Their current run of seven games without a win is putting them in deep trouble and with Portsmouth beginning to pick up points, they are persistently looking over their shoulder.

While Saturday's game against the Blades is difficult, Boxing Day provides an opportunity to get back on track as they face a managerless Oxford United.

However, they will need to start finding the back of the net and if they continue scoring under a goal a game they could be heading down to League One.