Mehmet Dalman: Cardiff City chairman hails best transfer window of his tenure
- Published
Cardiff chairman Mehmet Dalman, pictured with chief executive Ken Choo (left), joined the club in 2013
Chairman Mehmet Dalman says Cardiff City's summer transfer window has been the best of his decade with the club.
The Championship side have made six signings so far, including Wales captain Aaron Ramsey.
Dalman expects Cardiff to make two more additions before the window shuts, while Wales striker Kieffer Moore could be another who returns to the club.
"We gave a presentation to [owner] Vincent Tan about wanting to shift from quantity to quality," said Dalman.
"Six players so far but, in going for the quality, the cost base has not gone up tremendously because players have left and others will be going as well. We have an absolute determination to balance the books.
"At least three or four will be leaving, we have also sent talented youngsters out on loan. We want them to get 30-35 games behind them and come back better players.
"Since I've been here as chairman this is the best window I've been involved in. The main difference is that previous managers knew who they wanted position-wise, went to agents in the market to see who's available, take them or not.
"The difference this time is [manager] Erol Bulut has a certain style of football and asked us who the best talents were to suit that. We went after them. Some we were told were not available very quickly, some were interested.
"Remember over the last two years this cub has fought against relegation, so it hasn't been the easiest of [sales] pitches this summer. We had to go out and sell a dream and that's been the difference."
Cardiff have only been able to add to their squad with free transfers and loans this summer because of a three-window transfer embargo which means they cannot pay fees for players.
That embargo, which will be lifted in January 2024, was imposed by Fifa because of Cardiff's refusal to pay the first instalment of the transfer fee they had agreed with FC Nantes for Emiliano Sala.
Cardiff have since paid Nantes the transfer balance for Sala, who died in a plane crash in 2019 before he could play for the Welsh side.
"The club is 100% reliant financially on Vincent [Tan]," Dalman said.
"He's paid the bill for Sala, £18m - that's come from his own pocket. That hurt. Legal action is still going on."
Ramsey comes home after Gareth Bale deal fell
Aaron Ramsey left French side Nice to start his third spell at first club Cardiff
Ramsey's return to his boyhood club last month was one of the highest-profile transfers in the Championship this year, with the former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder representing a major coup for Cardiff.
Before the deal was completed, some Bluebirds supporters might have worried it might have fallen through like last year's pursuit of another Welsh great, Gareth Bale.
The former Real Madrid forward held talks with Cardiff but, unlike Ramsey who had previously played for the Bluebirds, Bale did not have the same emotional attachment to the club.
"It's a bit embarrassing for me to admit it, but I thought we'd done a deal with Gareth Bale," said Dalman.
"I met Aaron face to face. That enables you to take a view on his real attitude. He didn't send agents making demands, he did the negotiations himself.
"We had a cup of coffee, he said 'I'd love to play for Cardiff' and we said 'We'd love to have you'."
Ramsey could have another of his Wales team-mates playing alongside him for Cardiff before the transfer window shuts on 1 September if the Bluebirds re-sign striker Moore.
Cardiff want to loan the 31-year-old, who they sold to Bournemouth for around £5m in January 2022.
"We have other forward options. Bournemouth definitely don't want to loan him, they'd prefer to sell," Dalman said.
"We wouldn't be able to buy him even if we wanted to. But if in the last week of the window they ask are you still interested, we'll take a stance then on where we are with the team."
Potential American investment?
Cardiff have experienced extreme highs and lows since Tan arrived in 2010, with Premier League promotions and relegations interspersed with rebrands, acrimonious managerial departures and countless other controversies.
Dalman says Cardiff's Malaysian owner remains committed to the club but the chairman remains open to the idea of additional investment.
"I've been meeting a lot with US private equity funds and the valuation of football clubs is going through the roof. Americans are determined to come into this market quite heavily," said Dalman.
"I spoke to the owners of Leeds when we were there, and Championship clubs are valued at three times their revenue, give or take.
"Manchester United are going to announce their sale at £7.2bn-7.3bn, which is roughly 10 times their revenue.
"Two or three years ago, we might have been talking about selling Cardiff for about £20m or £30m but now you're going to have to look at £90m or £100m. Valuations [of Championship clubs] have all stretched.
"In terms of the money burned, you have a better chance of getting it back in this environment than you ever have before.
"Over the last two years Vincent became quite depressed at the way results went for us. If we can reawaken this, I think he'll be rejuvenated.
"If we're in the top 10 at Christmas I think you'll see a very interested Vincent Tan. I really hope it happens for him because he deserves to recoup some of his investment.
"Right now, there is no such discussion [about selling Cardiff] but if someone wants to talk to me, come and talk to me.
"We need to succeed on the pitch to get revenue into this football club. There's a feelgood factor about it at the moment. I'm enjoying that."
