Cardiff City

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Anwar El Ghazi and Kieron Evans have issued farewell messages on social media, as they prepare to leave Cardiff City.

They are two of seven players who will leave the Welsh side after the club's decision not to renew their contracts before the new League One season.

Dutch international El Ghazi, 30, leaves after less than a year at Cardiff, while 23-year-old City youth product Evans departs having spent last season on loan at Newport County.

El Ghazi said on Instagram: "Thank you Cardiff City for giving me the opportunity to play football again. I wish the club and the fans nothing but the best."

Evans, also on Instagram posted: "After 13 years at Cardiff City my time here is up, from a young boy I never would've believed to make it through to the first team and make my professional debut here which is still one of the best moments in my career so far.

"I thank everyone at the club over the years who's helped me get to where I am today. I'll forever be grateful for what this club has given me and I wish the club the very best in the future! Now I'm excited for the change and challenge ahead."

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Cardiff City are working on a deal to make Brian Barry-Murphy their new manager.

The Bluebirds are in negotiations with Leicester City over the 46-year-old, who is currently part of Ruud van Nistelrooy's backroom staff at the Foxes.

Talks are said to be progressing and should pave the way for the former Manchester City academy coach to take charge at the Bluebirds.

Cardiff entered into advanced discussions with Barry-Murphy over the role after he emerged as the leading choice to succeed Omer Riza, who was sacked in April.

Wales captain Aaron Ramsey had taken temporary charge but was unable to prevent the club's relegation to the Championship, before then ruling himself out of contention.

Barry-Murphy – who has previously been linked with the Cardiff job – was among the names recommended to the club's board by a panel, with former Oxford United boss Des Buckingham also a contender after efforts to snatch Charlton Athletic manager Nathan Jones hit a wall.

The Irishman has not managed at senior level since a two-year spell at Rochdale where he earned praise for his style of play and working with homegrown talent.

Personal terms would still have to be formally agreed with Barry-Murphy, as well as arrangements over backroom staff.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Striker Yakou Meite has thanked Cardiff City for his two years at the club and says fans "deserve" to see them go straight back up to the Championship.

The 29-year-old forward is one of seven players who are on the Bluebirds' released list after their relegation to League One, including Wales captain Aaron Ramsey and defender Dimitrios Goutas.

Meite leaves Cardiff City Stadium after scoring five goals in 72 appearances since joining from Reading in 2023.

Writing on X, Meite said: "Thanks Cardiff City for these two years.

"Really wanted to do well for this club but unfortunately it's been a difficult season. Always tried to do my best and I will still leave with some good memories.

"I've met some incredible people who deserve to be happy again and watch this club going straight back to the Championship.

"Wish you all the best for the future Bluebirds."

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Cardiff City say the delay in naming a new manager has been down to "essential" checks to make sure they get right "one of the most important appointments" in their history.

The Bluebirds have held advanced talks with Leicester City assistant manager Brian Barry-Murphy as they close in on finally appointing a new permanent boss.

Former Oxford United manager Des Buckingham has also been in the frame following a lengthy process overseen by a specially-formed sub-committee.

The panel included former Rangers and Swansea director of football Mark Allen, a representative from agents Wasserman and academy manager Gavin Chesterfield, with owner Vincent Tan having the final say.

Of the process, Chesterfield said: "We worked to a clear mandate from the board of directors, which led us to consider three styles - experienced managers, up and coming managers/head coaches and international based options.

"We worked through a long list of talented options according to a clear criterion to ensure consistency of process.

"It has taken longer than initially expected, but this is a crucial decision at a key time for our football club.

"Having started with a blank canvas, we are proud of the final options presented to the board for consideration. This is an appointment that everyone wants to get right for the future of Cardiff City."

It is more than a month since Cardiff's relegation from the Championship – with Aaron Ramsey in temporary charge after Omer Riza was sacked with three games of the season remaining – leading to criticism from supporters.

But director Steve Borley said: "We understand that concerns have been expressed regarding the length of the process, and while initially the plan was to have the manager, and his staff, in place before now, the correct due diligence, however long it took, was essential to the ongoing success of the club.

"This is one of the most important appointments in Cardiff City's recent history.

"We've been immensely impressed by the standard of those who wish to lead our football club. We are excited to share a further positive update soon regarding the appointment of a new management team once the necessary negotiations have been concluded."

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Cardiff City Supporters' Trust (CCST) has accused owner Vincent Tan of treating the club's fanbase with "contempt" over what the fans' body says is an "intolerable" delay and lack of communication over the appointment of a new manager.

Cardiff had three different managers as they were relegated from the Championship this season and are now looking for a ninth boss in four years.

Erol Bulut was fired in September and his successor Omar Riza received his marching orders in April. Aaron Ramsey was appointed Cardiff interim manager for the final three games of the 2024-25 Championship season but was unable to keep them from relegation.

The club said in May that it would trial a new process to appoint the next manager, by assembling a sub-committee, and were hopeful of appointing a new boss by the end of that month.

But with the process now dragging on towards the middle of June, CCST issued a statement expressing its concern.

"Time is moving on, critical pre-season decisions need to be made in terms of the squad which cannot happen without a manager," read the statement.

"It is as long ago as 19 April that Omer Riza was relieved of his duties and 3 May was the final game of the season and it is 10 June that this communication is being written with still no sign of an appointment.

"As the ultimate power within the club does Vincent Tan have a sense of urgency?

"The club may say that there is no reason to panic but it is fair to say that the fanbase view the situation with some concern and anger.

"That fact that there has been a deafening silence from the club has not been helpful... we are led to believe that the current state of inertia/indecision is purely down to the owner [Tan] and... [chief executive] Ken Choo."

The statement continued: "This situation is intolerable and only serves to demonstrate the contempt the owner holds the fanbase in.

"We have no idea where we are in the process. Are the experts employed to assist in the job of finding a new manager still in the building? Are they continuing to advise? We hope they are but we just don't know.

"We will continue to liaise with the club to try and urge them to improve communication as fans deserve to be treated better."

Ben Ashton
BBC Sport England

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Watford are getting relegated, Plymouth are staying up, Millwall are in the play-offs and Portsmouth are also battling for a top-six spot.

Does something sound a bit off? Well, that's what would have happened if the Championship season started on 1 January.

Here's a look at the 2025 calendar year table, showing who the form sides were in the second half of the season and who went into freefall.

Perhaps the most notable difference between the actual final top six and the 2025 version is that Millwall would be in the play-offs and Premier League-bound Sunderland would not.

Burnley and Leeds still comfortably occupy the automatic promotion spots, albeit the Clarets would be unbeaten at the top of the pile with the Whites in second.

Coventry improved significantly after Frank Lampard replaced Mark Robins and are third over the course of the year.

The Sky Blues would instead be pitted against Bristol City in the play-off semi-final as opposed to Sunderland. Who knows what difference that would have made to their promotion bid...

Image source, Rex Features

Portsmouth - who spent much of the season battling relegation and only secured their Championship safety with two games to spare - are seventh and just one point outside a play-off spot.

Pompey sit above Sunderland, who lost their final five games of the season and are down in eighth.

The data perhaps shows just how long Regis Le Bris' side effectively had a play-off spot sewn up before their victory at Wembley against Sheffield United to claim promotion.

Relegation battlers Oxford find themselves seven places higher than where they actually finished in the 2024-25 campaign (17th), reflecting the good work done by Gary Rowett after he took over as boss from Des Buckingham.

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth would have survived comfortably had the season begun in January 2025, showing a significant uptick after Miron Muslic replaced Wayne Rooney at the helm.

Middlesbrough tailed off significantly in the second half of the season, underpinning why they missed out on the play-offs. It was a drop off that ultimately cost Michael Carrick his job as head coach.

Norwich City conceded more goals (32) than any other side in 2025, which counteracted the hard work they'd done at the other end, having been the fourth top scorers (31) since the turn of the year.

Image source, Rex Features

Watford had a disappointing 2025, winning just five of their 23 games and losing 13 to finish bottom of the calendar year table.

The Hornets had the joint-worst goal difference along with Cardiff (-10) and head coach Tom Cleverley was sacked following the end of the season.

Preston and Cardiff won the fewest games of any side in 2025 (4), which cost the Bluebirds their Championship status and almost led to the Lilywhites dropping into League One as they avoided relegation by one point.

Paul Heckingbottom's side would be down if only games this year were counted.

Luton and Derby scored the fewest goals in 2025 (19) and attacking output was an issue that plagued both sides throughout the entire campaign.

It had major consequences for the Hatters with back-to-back relegations, while the Rams survived by a point - and only on goal difference in the yearly table.

Data collated from Transfermarkt

Ben Ashton
BBC Sport England

Image source, Getty Images

The 2024-25 Championship season might be over but there are many ways to analyse and reflect on the campaign that has gone before us.

Not every club can go up but if there are signs a team is moving in the right direction, it can still be considered good progress - or quite the opposite if things are on the slide.

Here is a look at how each of the 18 sides who were in the Championship for the past two seasons got on points wise compared to the 2023-24 campaign.

It perhaps comes as no surprise that Sunderland, who won promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs, recorded the most significant improvement after finishing 16th in 2023-24 and picked up 20 more points.

Despite a tumultuous season off the field, Blackburn were the second most improved side in the division, gaining 13 points on the previous campaign as they missed out on the play-offs by just two points.

Leeds racked up 90 points in 2023-24 but somehow still managed a 10-point improvement as they hit the 100 mark on their way to winning the title in their best-ever season in the second tier.

Millwall's seven-point improvement was enough to help them finish five places higher in eighth, but they fell short of the top six by two points.

Meanwhile, Bristol City were only six points better off but managed to climb five places and claim a play-off spot, recording their best Championship finishing position since 2007-08.

Coventry also only improved by five points but were able to jump from ninth to fifth, perhaps showing just how fine the margins can be in the Championship when it comes to securing a play-off berth.

At the bottom...

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You might want to look away now, Hull City fans.

The Tigers went backwards more than any other side compared to the previous season under Liam Rosenior, dropping from seventh place and three points outside the play-offs to only escaping relegation on goal difference on the final day.

Cardiff went from mid-table in 2023-24 to rock bottom and will drop down to League One for the first time in 22 years. It is pretty clear to see why as the Bluebirds picked up 18 fewer points compared to the previous season.

Norwich tumbled to 13th place after finishing in the play-offs a year before - an underperformance which ultimately cost Johannes Hoff Thorup his job as head coach.

Preston were 10 points off the play-off places in 2023-24 but picked up 13 fewer points under Paul Heckingbottom in what was their worst season since they were relegated from the Championship in 2010-11.

The Lilywhites' downturn was largely due to a major dip in form in the latter stages of the campaign, picking up only one win from their final 15 games (D7 L7) to avoid the drop by just one point.

West Bromwich Albion endured a disappointing season - for a club which always harbours ambitions of plying its trade in the top flight - with an 11-point drop off.

Albion's final points tally of 64 was their worst in the Championship since 1999-2000.

Plymouth may have only been five points worse off than they were in 2023-24 but having survived on the final day that season, there were to be no such heroics this time around and their two-year stint in the second tier is over.

And the rest...

Image source, Getty Images

*All data based only on teams who were in the Championship in 2023-24 and 2024-25

Image source, FAW

Harry Wilson says Aaron Ramsey still has plenty of offer as a player as uncertainty continues over what will come next for the midfielder.

Ramsey, 34, sees his Cardiff City contract expire this summer and there is no word yet on whether he will be offered a new deal by the managerless Bluebirds.

Ramsey ended the 2024-25 season as Cardiff's caretaker boss following the dismissal of Omer Riza, but was unable to save the club from relegation to League One.

Despite taking the managerial reins at his boyhood club, Ramsey indicated he wanted to carry on playing in 2025-26 in the hope of going to next year's World Cup with Wales.

As it stands, the former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder is his country's captain – though he is not in Craig Bellamy's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein on Friday and in Belgium next Monday.

As managerial uncertainty at Cardiff continues, there has been speculation Ramsey could be offered the chance to take over on a permanent basis.

For the moment, however, former Cardiff loanee Wilson says he views Ramsey as a Wales team-mate.

"He's definitely still got something to offer," the Fulham forward said.

"You see that when he turns up, with his quality in training and in games.

"He's still captain when he's here. It'll be up to him to decide what he wants to do, but for sure if he's fit and available he'll definitely be here."

Dafydd Pritchard
BBC Sport Wales

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Cardiff City are still waiting to discover who their new manager will be as owner Vincent Tan mulls over his final decision.

The Bluebirds are looking for a ninth manager in four years as they prepare for life in League One following their relegation from the Championship this season.

After a sub-committee compiled a longlist of names and whittled it down to a shortlist of around six, chairman Mehmet Dalman and chief executive Ken Choo have spoken to the candidates and presented their recommendations to Tan.

Des Buckingham and Ian Evatt, former bosses of Oxford United and Bolton Wanderers respectively, have both been interviewed.

Cardiff have also held talks with Leicester City assistant coach Brian Barry-Murphy and Wales captain Aaron Ramsey, who took charge of the Welsh club's final three games of this season on a caretaker basis.

But Ruben Selles, who was considered for the job when Cardiff sacked Erol Bulut last year, has ruled himself out as he wants to stay in the Championship following his recent dismissal by Hull City.

Sources have indicated to BBC Sport Wales that some board members would like to see Tan appoint an experienced manager with a proven track record at this level, such as Buckingham who led Oxford to promotion from League One last season.

Others would favour a different route, with ex-Manchester City academy coach Barry-Murphy and Ramsey still in the frame.

Ramsey, whose Cardiff contract expires this summer, has still not decided whether or not he will continue playing next season.

The 34-year-old former Arsenal midfielder enjoyed his brief stint in charge of his boyhood club, where he was assisted by his ex-Cardiff and Wales team-mate Chris Gunter among others.

If Cardiff were to choose Ramsey or Barry-Murphy, whose only managerial experience came at Rochdale between 2019 and 2021, it has been suggested the club would need to revamp its structure.

The Bluebirds have been heavily criticised for their perceived lack of football knowledge at board level, with fans and former players calling on Tan to appoint a sporting director or someone of similar standing between the head coach and the board.

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Wales head coach Craig Bellamy has called up Cardiff City's teenage defender Ronan Kpakio for the World Cup qualifiers against Liechtenstein and Belgium in June.

But the decision to add the right-back, who only turned 18 this week, to his squad is not such a surprise when you consider Bellamy has been a fan of Kpakio for some time - and even considered buying the youngster when the Wales boss was part of Burnley's backroom staff.

"I've known Ronan since he was very, very young, I've kept an eye on him," Bellamy said.

"Even last year we wanted to buy him for Burnley, so I'm fully aware, I've watched him - especially over the last couple of years, his progression has been outstanding.

"His potential can be ridiculously high; he's very athletic, very intelligent.

"If he wasn't injured I would have had him in March, as he's a player - especially in the right-back position... where we don't have a big area [of selection choices] in there, so we really need to start developing players in that position.

"He's the perfect profile for that."

Kpakio has come through the Bluebirds academy system and has so far made only six senior appearances for the club.

He made his debut in the EFL Cup last August before his first league start came on the final day of the Championship season.

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Cardiff City Supporters' Trust (CCST) have highlighted their ongoing concerns around the football knowledge at the top level of the club following a meeting with members of the Bluebirds' hierarchy.

Following confirmation of Cardiff's relegation into League One, the club issued a statement in which they stated they would undertake a "thorough period of review across several structures and practices".

The Fans' Advisory Board (FAB) met with club chairman Mehmet Dalman, executive director and chief executive officer Ken Choo and non-executive director Steve Borley following the conclusion of what was a wretched 2024-25 season for the club.

The CCST says it is "anxious to understand the extent of this review" after confirming the subject of improving the football knowledge at the highest levels within the club was raised during the meeting.

They wrote: "In our view the question of footballing expertise at board level in connection with the review was not answered as positively as we would have liked.

"Firstly, Mehmet Dalman stated that the board of Cardiff City is "unique" in that it cannot decide anything significant without reference to the owner.

"The minutes make it sound as if this uniqueness is a proud boast whereas our view is that it is a major weakness in corporate governance of the club.

"Mehmet Dalman goes on to say that he would welcome more football expertise but introduced caveats, perhaps to temper expectation."

Cardiff remain hopeful of appointing a new manager before the end of May having already interviewed candidates for the role - with the Bluebirds looking for a ninth boss in four years.

It comes amid what is likely to be a significant squad overhaul at Cardiff City Stadium following relegation into the third tier.

The statement concluded: "There's not much for Cardiff City fans to be happy about at the moment, but we hope for positive developments whereby the owner will allow the board the leeway to put in place, in the way the club is run, the sort of improvements that will take Cardiff City in the right direction."

Image source, Rex Features

As Cardiff City's supporters await a new manager, Bluebirds players will also be eager to see who the new boss might be – and what impact it could have on their futures.

And that includes the handful of players sent out on loan by the club while Omer Riza's side failed to fight off relegation.

While some were youngsters gaining valuable experience, others were senior pros either looking for game time or a second chance.

The latter includes midfielder Ryan Wintle, who will return to south Wales after a season at Millwall with a year still to run on his Cardiff contract.

Wintle went from a regular under Erol Bulut to being frozen out last summer, heading to The Den where he played 23 times for the team that were only edged out of the play-off race in the final weeks.

However, having initially been signed by former Bluebirds boss Neil Harris, Wintle struggled for game time following Alex Neil's appointment with the vast majority of his appearances coming from the bench.

Further afield, Ryotaro Tsunoda spent more time on loan at Belgian side KV Kortrijk, a club also owned by Cardiff majority shareholder Vincent Tan.

The Japanese defender was initially signed in January 2024 before immediately heading to Belgium, impressing as they avoided relegation only to suffer a serious hamstring injury.

Without kicking a ball for Cardiff, the 25-year-old returned to KVK and played 12 times, although the club could not avoid the drop to the Belgian second tier.

Midfielder Joel Colwill has been eyed at the club as a future talent for some time, signing a five-year deal in September 2023.

He started the season under former Newport County boss Michael Flynn at Cheltenham Town, the 20-year-old scoring on his debut in an opening day win over the Exiles.

He featured regularly for the League Two side before being recalled and sent to third-tier Exeter City in January, making 18 appearances without scoring.

Kion Etete – out of contract this summer – had little joy catching the eye after dropping down a division with Bolton Wanderers. The former Tottenham striker was injured after just 23 minutes of action on his debut, in which he conceded a penalty. He did return to fitness two months later, but had limited impact off the bench in five outings as Steven Schumacher's side dropped out of play-off contention.

Also in League One, Eli King made 34 appearances for Stevenage under former Cardiff striker Alex Revell, including in their surprise 3-2 win at eventual promotion winners Wrexham. The 22-year-old, who is contracted until 2026, struggled for a consistent spell in the side, but had a run of four starts in March, his best period of the season.

Meanwhile, rookie striker Michael Reindorf, did not quite get the chances Cardiff might have liked during his time at Bristol Rovers. The 20-year-old, who had impressed enough during the under-21s run in the Welsh League Cup, made two Bluebirds appearances off the bench in the League Cup and two in the Championship under Omer Riza.

He was loaned to Rovers on deadline day in February, but had to make do with substitute appearances without scoring as the Gas were relegated from League One. He totalled 76 minutes of action with former boss Inigo Calderon saying at one stage he had failed to impress in training.

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Cardiff City Supporters' Trust chairman Keith Morgan says fans are concerned that owner Vincent Tan may not listen to a sub-committee set up to lead the search for the club's next manager.

Cardiff are looking for a ninth manager in four years following their relegation from the Championship, with Erol Bulut and Omer Riza sacked during 2024-25 as the Bluebirds finished a miserable season with Wales captain Aaron Ramsey in caretaker charge.

Chairman Mehmet Dalman has revealed that the hunt for Cardiff's next permanent boss will be led by a sub-committee featuring the club's head of academy Gavin Chesterfield (pictured below), former Swansea City sporting director Mark Allen and a member of the Wasserman agency.

The sub-committee, which has been formed on a one-off basis, will answer to the board with the aim of making an appointment this month.

Morgan believes that may represent a positive move – but only if Tan (pictured above) takes any recommendations on board.

"It is right that the club should be criticised when it gets things wrong and [so should] the owner, who of course doesn't take kindly to any kind of criticism," Morgan told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

Image source, Huw Evans Agency

"This sub-committee, as a one-off to appoint the manager this time round, is a step in the right direction if the owner takes heed of their recommendations.

"That is the fear of fans, that we could go through this process, which is a good idea in theory, but then the owner decides to do whatever the owner wants to do anyway."

As Cardiff prepare to play in the third tier for the first time since 2003, Morgan says there is ongoing frustration among fans over the lack of "fundamental change in the decision-making process" at the club.

There has long been a feeling among some supporters that Cardiff need more footballing expertise in the boardroom, with recent fan protests calling for Tan and the club's directors to go.

"What the club still lacks is anyone at full board level with detailed football knowledge and we are still without a full-time executive director at the club," Morgan added.

"Those things haven't been fixed. We have had 16 managers in the 14 years under Vincent Tan's ownership. We can't keep doing that.

"We keep trying to apply a plaster over a gaping wound and it needs some change."

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Joe Ralls hopes Cardiff City can use the upcoming summer to return "stronger than ever" following relegation into League One.

The Bluebirds finished rock bottom of the Championship after securing just nine wins from 46 matches - the lowest return in the second tier.

But central midfielder Ralls took to social media to thank the Cardiff faithful for their support during what has been a wretched 2024-25 campaign for the club.

"Now that the dust has settled after a tough season for all of us, I want to take a moment to come on here and thank our loyal fans for your support," he wrote.

"Even during times when we didn't perform as we should have on the pitch, you've been nothing short of incredible in the stands.

"I know our club isn't where we all hoped it would be, and that hurts.

"But we'll use this summer to regroup, rebuild and come back stronger than ever."

Image source, Getty Images

A complete restructure could be needed at Cardiff City to give them the best chance of bouncing back from relegation, says former Bluebirds striker Nathan Blake.

Cardiff will play third-tier football for the first time in 22 years next season, and Blake, who watched his old side finish bottom of the Championship by losing at Norwich on the final day, says things need to change from top to bottom.

"If I was [owner] Vincent Tan I would bring someone in to liaise with - someone who understands the club, understands the game, understands the fans," said Blake on Radio Wales Sport.

"They need someone who can see a player, scout a player, recruit a player...and I'd have him or her as a conduit in between the team and the owner."

In a statement before the Norwich game, the club and its board of directors promised "a thorough period of review across several structures and practices", involving "the owner, board, executive management and stakeholders".

In a message to fans, Tan also hit back at criticism that he has minimal contact with the club, and doesn't care, insisting he watches every game and speaks to the manager before and after each one.

But many fans have long questioned Tan's apparent reluctance to appoint a director of football or some kind of intermediary between the board and the management team, and Blake argues more experience is needed around decision making.

"The board needs more experience, and an understanding they're responsible for the overall running of the club," said Blake.

"Training ground, making sure the youth team are training with the first team, things like that.

"Then you go down to the next level and the management structure, and who are you going to bring in?

"And then you get to the next level and look at the recruitment of players who are available who can get you out of the league, and back up into the Championship.

"It's all so topsy turvy at the moment. There's a lot of work to do."