Cardiff City: Omer Riza situation clarified after Vincent Tan trip | OneFootball

Omer Riza is set to remain in the Cardiff City dugout, despite links between the Bluebirds and Slaven Bilic

Cardiff City interim manager Omer Riza is set to remain in the Championship club's dugout for now, amid speculation that former West Ham and West Brom boss Slaven Bilic is in the frame for the vacancy.

That's according to former Wales Online Head of Sport, Paul Abbandonato, who wrote on X: "Been a lot of @CardiffCityFC Bilic speculation last 24 hours.

"I've always said he's there from Jan 1 if things go wrong, but my understanding is nothing changes & Omer stays in charge for now.

"Personally, I think Bilic is the right man, but let's see how Riza continues to do."

This development comes after the news that Riza flew to Malaysia during the international break to meet with Cardiff owner Vincent Tan in order to discuss his future with the club, as reported by Wales Online.

Due to Abbandonato's X post, stating that the Bluebirds interim boss will remain at the Cardiff City Stadium for now, it seems as though Riza's talks with Tan went well.

Meanwhile, following speculation that he was in the frame for the Bluebirds vacancy, Bilic told Birmingham Live: "At the moment I like it at home, but of course I'm ready to work.

"I'm at a good age and part of me would work, but I'm waiting for a good opportunity.

"For the meantime, I am enjoying this."

Riza could be the right man to take Bluebirds forward

But despite Bilic's potential interest, the Bluebirds faithful will likely be pleased that their current interim boss is staying in the dugout in south Wales, at least for now.

Tan made the decision to sack former boss Erol Bulut in September, after the club were sitting bottom of the Championship, having picked up just one point from their opening six games.

The Bluebirds also scored just one goal in those six fixtures, during a dismal run of form which was their worst start to a league season for 94 years.

But shortly after Riza took interim charge, Cardiff enjoyed a successful run of six games unbeaten in the Championship, which included four wins.

In fact, the interim boss looked to have completely turned things around for the Bluebirds, who hammered Wayne Rooney's Plymouth Argyle 5-0 last month, before picking up further wins over newly promoted Portsmouth, and play-off hopefuls Norwich City, either side of a 0-0 draw with current top-six club West Brom.

However, back-to-back defeats at the hands of fellow strugglers Luton Town and Blackburn Rovers have condemned Riza's men to a bottom-three spot.

Bluebirds' next three fixtures could decide Riza's future

With high-profile managers such as Bilic still in the frame, Riza is under pressure to perform in order to secure a permanent tenure as Bluebirds boss.

Meanwhile, in each of their next three games, the Bluebirds take on direct relegation rivals, starting with a trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon.

The Owls will be determined to bounce back from their Steel City Derby defeat to bitter rivals Sheffield United last time out, but a recent 6-2 loss at home to Watford epitomises their defensive vulnerability, which is something Cardiff must look to capitalise on.

Following their visit to South Yorkshire, Riza's men then host bottom side Queens Park Rangers next Wednesday, and the R's are without a win since August, while that 2-1 triumph over Luton is also their only victory of the campaign so far.

Should the Bluebirds fail to defeat such a poor QPR side, it could have severe consequences for the future of their interim manager, who will then prepare them for an away trip to Coventry City.

The Sky Blues are currently managerless following the sacking of former boss Mark Robins, and it remains to be seen how they will perform following the departure of their long-serving manager, while they currently sit just one point above the Bluebirds in the Championship table.