"Win-win" - Cardiff City stance on potential Huddersfield Town, Kion Etete deal discussed | OneFootball

Etete has been linked with a potential switch to West Yorkshire in 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...

Since joining Cardiff City on a three-year contract under Steve Morison, Kion Etete has struggled to find consistent runs of form for the South Wales outfit.

That is despite the fact that under five different interim and permanent bosses at the Cardiff City Stadium, the striker has managed to accumulate over 50 appearances in the Championship.

However, the 23-year-old is yet to make an appearance this season as a result of a hamstring problem, and reports from Football Insider suggest that Etete may not be in Omer Riza's short-term thinking after he was given the manager's role until the end of the season last week.

The aforementioned report states that League One outfit Huddersfield Town are eyeing up the former Tottenham Hotspur man in a bid to improve Michael Duff's attacking armoury in the upcoming January transfer window.

With that in mind, FLW asked our Bluebirds fan pundit, Jack Price, for his thoughts on this potential deal.

Potential Cardiff City, Huddersfield Town deal seen as a "win-win"

Given Etete's lack of consistency for the Welsh outfit and his recent injury woes, Price believes that an exit for the Derby-born forward would benefit all parties.

"I think Kion Etete going to Huddersfield could be something of a win-win for us," he began. "I do think a loan move will be the route we go down if we are to let him leave.

"His contract expires at the end of the season, so it's hard to see a club paying a permanent fee for his services. And, honestly, it's quite hard to see what Cardiff would lose from a loan deal," Price added.

"Etete simply hasn't delivered at Cardiff. His arrival was exciting, but you'd have to say at this point that he's flattered to deceive. In his two full seasons with us, he's scored three league goals apiece.

"Obviously, that's caveated by his injury record. He's spent a lot of time on the sidelines and, historically speaking, he's in a side that creates a lot of goalscoring opportunities," our fan pundit explained.

"So, it hasn't been easy for him when he's been on the pitch. But, for one reason or another, whether that's himself or the team around him, he hasn't been scoring goals.

"He hasn't looked up to the level in my opinion, and he's quite a divisive figure among fans. There's plenty who think the same as me, but he has a lot of backers in his corner as well.

"A loan move could be good," Price continued. "Because, given where he's at with his contract, if he has a good few months in League One, maybe we could consider renewing it if he finds form, fitness and momentum whilst bumping up his record, then maybe he could be worth keeping around, especially if we're to go down ourselves, which is a real possibility.

"On the flipside, if he was to go out on loan and didn't get games or score goals, we'd be left with the simple decision not to renew. And, that would benefit us by getting wages off the books for a player who wouldn't be at the level, and you couldn't make a case for him if he struggled in League One," he stated.

"It would be beneficial either way to get him out on loan, in terms of the decision which has to be made for his contract.

"I do think there's a player in there. There are things to like about Etete, but he needs to be getting regular football and prove a point to Cardiff as to why we should keep him on, because at this moment in time he hasn't done that," the fan pundit added.

"Unfortunately for him, ahead of what is a make-or-break season, he was ruled out with a long-term injury, and he hasn't kicked a ball this season. So, maybe that could add some difficulties in terms of a loan move.

"It will be interesting to see how it goes. It's a big few months for him and I think a loan is definitely the way to go, and best of luck to him," Price concluded.

Due to numerous factors, a potential switch to the John Smith's Stadium would only fuel the fire for Etete to prove himself after an early-season of misfortune.

The attacker has shown brief flashes of quality during his two years with Cardiff, but at this moment in time, it is hard to see where the desire to offer a contract extension comes from.

Therefore, in a side which has netted 30 goals thus far and created an average of 2.6 big chances per game, Etete could benefit from the attacking style of play that Michael Duff has implemented at Huddersfield, which has given talents, such as West Ham loanee Callum Marshall, the chance to express their ability and future potential.

With his career at such a crossroads, an outcome such as this should be grasped at by Etete, who would hope to give his current employers a big decision to make in the coming months.