"Barely had a look in" - Cardiff City urged to let "highly touted" forward depart in January 2025 | OneFootball

Cian Ashford has been touted to make a loan exit from Cardiff in the new year

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 have been urged to send young winger Cian Ashford on loan in the January window due to his lack of impact on the team at the start of this season.

Ashford is a boyhood Bluebird, after he joined the club at the age of six, but now aged 20, it may be time for him to seek game-time elsewhere for the first time in his short career so far.

He broke into the Cardiff first-team last season under Erol Bulut, and went on to make nine appearances in all competitions, with starts in each of the final three games of the campaign.

His fairytale moment came on his first league start for the club, as he netted an injury-time winner against Southampton at the Cardiff City Stadium in April, and many expected him to kick on even further this term as a result, but that has not been the case so far.

Cardiff City fan pundit touts Cian Ashford for January 2025 loan exit

Ashford has made five appearances so far this term, under both Bulut and caretaker boss Omer Riza, with one EFL Cup start, and four substitute outings in the Championship to his name.

His lack of minutes has seen him fail to make the matchday squad on five separate occasions in the league, which seems counter-productive for his growth as a player, given the clear talent that he possesses.

Ashford has been tipped to head elsewhere for the second-half of the season in the January window by FLW's Cardiff fan pundit, Jack Price, as a result of his fleeting appearances, after we asked him for a Bluebirds' player who could really do with a loan move in the new year.

“One player I believe could really benefit from a loan exit in January is Cian Ashford," Jack told FLW.

“I said this during the summer, because it was pretty clear that he wasn’t going to get a look in with the likes of Anwar El Ghazi and Chris Willock coming in.

“Callum Robinson has been resurgent as well, and Ollie Tanner has gone from strength-to-strength, so it’s all gone against him this season. He’s been pretty unfortunate in that aspect.

“Ashford is a top, top talent. We saw that at the back end of last season when Erol Bulut threw him in for the final few games, he scored that winner against Southampton and was really impressive on the final day against Rotherham.

“He’s been very highly touted for years in the academy. He’s someone who has always had real promise, and I think now at 20-years-old it’s time for him to go out and vindicate that promise, and play regular football.

“He’s barely had a look in this season. He made his first appearance in the league on Saturday, coming off the bench.

“Realistically, I think now that he has been around the first-team and had a taste of it, it is time to send him out on loan, probably to League One.

“That would allow him to get the regular minutes he needs to kick on and hopefully come back and really compete for a place next season, similar to what Joel Colwill is currently doing.

“Some Cardiff fans might disagree, because there are a lot of fans who really view Ashford as a valuable man to the squad, and as somebody who can contribute.

“Honestly, so do I. I think he’s a really good player, I just think what’s going to serve his development better right now is playing regular football, and I don’t know if that is going to come at Cardiff, rightly or wrongly.”

Cian Ashford is unlikely to get a look-in if Cardiff City's recent form continues

The September sacking of Erol Bulut came as little surprise to many, despite him signing a new contract in the summer, after Cardiff had picked up just one point from their first six league games, and sat bottom of the second-tier table.

What has come as a shock, though, is the Bluebirds' contrasting form since his departure, with interim boss Omer Riza doing a stellar job so far, and tipped to keep the head-coach role on a permanent basis, as a result.

While certain players have definitely benefitted from the belief that Riza has instilled back into the squad, Ashford has not, as more senior players have been trusted to play over him, and three of Cardiff's four wins under the caretaker have come with the 20-year-old not even featuring off the bench.

He has been given a chance to prove himself in the last two outings, with 34 minutes combined against Norwich City and Luton Town, but it seems very unlikely that he will force his way into the starting XI over the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Chris Willock or Ollie Tanner.

While some Bluebirds' fans may be against letting Ashford leave in the new year, it certainly seems like the most logical outcome for him and the club to make sure that his progress is not stunted, and he is able to impose himself in new surroundings at a level that he could shine at.