"Not disappointed": Cardiff City man praised for nature of transfer exit - it's best for all parties | OneFootball

Cardiff's captain Callum O'Dowda has left for Ferencvaros and Football League World's Bluebirds fan pundit respects the way in which he has done so.

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…

Cardiff City's relegation from the Championship at the end of the 2024-25 season was always likely to bring big changes for the club, with the challenge of trying to get back into the division ahead.

One player who has already headed for the exit door is last season's club captain Callum O'Dowda, who has departed for the Hungarian champions Ferencvaros, where he will be linking up with the former Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keane.

His departure was the first exit of a contracted player from The Cardiff City Stadium this summer after nine senior players saw their contracts expire earlier in the week.

O'Dowda left the club for an undisclosed fee, having signed a contract extension with the Bluebirds at the end of the January transfer window.

This extension means that Cardiff are receiving an undisclosed transfer fee for his departure, when he otherwise could have left the club on a free transfer this summer.

Callum O'Dowda praised over the manner of his departure from Cardiff City

FLW have spoken to our resident Cardiff fan pundit Matt Hall about the deal, and he feels that this is a decision that works well for all parties.

"I'm not massively disappointed, if I'm honest", Matt told FLW.

"I would probably label this as a deal that works for all parties. I think O'Dowda leaves where there's no doubt that he did his best to keep us up, and he's got to think about himself."

"He's 30 now, and if he's on a three-year deal that would take him to 33, you have to think by the end of that contract the sort of move that Callum O'Dowda would be trying to get would be a vastly different one to the one with Ferencvaros. where he'll be getting European football and working with Robbie Keane. It makes sense for him.

"From our perspective, I think a three-year deal was the wrong decision for the same reasons, that by the time he gets to the end of it he'd be 33.

"As far as his profile, he's not the best defender to play left-back and his output isn't great for a winger. He's more of a wing-back, but we're not going to play that sort of system, so for us to get a bit of money in, I think it suits all parties.

"I'm not disappointed. If anything, I respect the fact that he's signed a new deal because there was always a chance we were going to get relegated and rather than him leaving on a free he has managed to get us some money.

"Whether that was his intention or not, we've got the money and he's got the move, so I can only respect him."

Ferencvaros offer O'Dowda opportunities that aren't available at Cardiff City

Callum O'Dowda's contract extension has guaranteed Cardiff a payout from his departure to Hungary, but that didn't have to be the case.

The player could have turned down the offer of a new contract and run the clock down before leaving on a free transfer.

And it's clear that O'Dowda's move opens up new horizons for him. Ferencvaros won the Hungarian league by three points at the end of the 2024-25 season, which puts them into the second qualifying round for a place in the hugely lucrative Champions League group stage.

This is an opportunity that wouldn't be available to him at Cardiff, and at 30 years of age such chances will only get thinner on the ground in the future.