Manolis Siopis: Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut praises impact of Greece midfielder

Manolis Siopis, who has already made himself a fans' favourite at Cardiff, has won 28 caps for Greece

Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut has praised the impact of Manolis Siopis for his role in the Bluebirds' strong start to the Championship season.

The Greece midfielder, 29, joined Cardiff in August after buying himself out of his contract at Trabzonspor.

Siopis has impressed in his 11 appearances to date, helping his new club climb up to seventh in the table, level on points with the top six.

"He's always 100%. He was born like this and will continue," said Bulut.

"They've taken him well in the team and had fun with him - he's a funny guy. He trains at 100% and he is 100% for the team on the field.

"You have to be serious but sometimes you have to enjoy and have fun, and Siopis is exactly that."

Cardiff have been transformed since the arrival of former Fenerbahce manager Bulut in June.

After enduring relegation battles in the previous two seasons, the Bluebirds have surged up to seventh in the Championship table after 13 games of this campaign.

The club's new signings have been instrumental to that improvement, with Wales captain Aaron Ramsey the highest profile of nine summer arrivals.

Players such as Ike Ugbo, Karlan Grant and Yakou Meite have sharpened the attack, while Siopis has added defensive solidity and energy in central midfield.

"He is a player who can destroy many things from opponents," said Bulut.

"He's very aggressive in his game, running a lot and making a lot of metres.

"He creates space for his team-mates. It's important to have players like this.

"I know Siopis because I took him to Alanyaspor. Technically he was maybe not the best but he has improved a lot on the ball and he showed also in our games that he is always involved and can build play from the back."

Bulut signed Siopis when he was in charge of Turkish side Alanyaspor in 2019, with the midfielder moving on to Trabzonspor two years later.

Following his appointment at Cardiff, Bulut identified Siopis as one of his top targets - but the Bluebirds were under a transfer embargo which meant they were unable to pay fees for players.

Eager to join Cardiff and reunite with Bulut, Siopis bought himself out of the rest of his Trabzonspor contract in order to make himself a free agent and able to join the Bluebirds on a free transfer.

"We were in a position where we could not buy players so it was difficult to get him in a normal way," said Bulut.

"When we saw he was a free agent, we acted to get him and it was a great transfer for Cardiff City."

Meanwhile, Cardiff hope to have Josh Bowler fit for Saturday's home Championship fixture with Bristol City.

The winger got what Bulut described as "a kick" during Tuesday's 4-0 win at Huddersfield but will be assessed after training on Friday.