Cardiff City

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Cardiff City midfielder Ebou Adams endured a miserable start to the Africa Cup of Nations, seeing red as The Gambia were beaten in their opening tournament game by Senegal.

Adams was sent off for an off-the-ball incident in first-half stoppage time.

The Gambia were already trailing by a goal at that stage, and went on to lose 3-0.

Eli King has joined Ross County on loan from Cardiff City for the remainder of the season.

King spent the opening half of the current campaign on loan at Morecambe, featuring 24 times for the League Two outfit.

He was recalled by the Bluebirds on 8 January and has now secured a temporary switch to the Scottish Premiership.

King signed a new three-year deal with Cardiff last summer.

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Jonathan Panzo's return to Nottingham Forest has been confirmed after his loan spell with Cardiff City was cut short.

The defender made just five appearances for the Bluebirds, with his sole start coming in a 5-2 League Cup defeat at Blackburn Rovers.

He had joined the Welsh club on a season-long loan.

“We'd like to thank Jonathan for his efforts, and wish him all the very best in the future,” a Cardiff statement said.

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Cardiff City’s home Championship fixture against Blackburn Rovers will now take place on Tuesday, 20 February 20 (19:45 GMT).

The fixture was initially scheduled for 27 January, but has been moved due to Rovers’ progression in the FA Cup.

Blackburn defeated Cambridge United in the third round and will host Wrexham at Ewood Park in round four.

The Bluebirds are out of the cup thanks to a 4-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

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Former Leeds United assistant coach Cameron Toshack says he has sympathy with Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut.

Toshack, who briefly played for the Bluebirds, saw Leeds emerge as comfortable winners in a battle of two of his former clubs at the Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday.

Toshack was on Jesse Marsch’s Leeds staff before the American lost his job last season.

“You do feel for Erol Bulut,” Toshack said on BBC Radio Wales’ Call Rob phone-in.

“If you look at the Leeds bench, with the likes of [Joel] Piroe, [Wiflried] Gnonto, [Ian] Poveda, [Joe] Gelhardt and [Mateo Joseph] Fernandez as well - all of those would start for Cardiff.

“All of those players are better than what Cardiff have got, in my opinion.

“I have worked with them, apart from Joel, and they would add what Cardiff are lacking. The goal-to-shot ratio would be far higher, they threaten a back line, they can drop in the hole and link play without losing possession.”

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Former Wales striker Iwan Roberts says Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut “needs a bit of help” after the Bluebirds were well beaten by Leeds United on Saturday.

Cardiff slumped to a seventh defeat in their last 12 league games as they were well beaten 3-0 by Leeds.

Bulut has made it clear he wants new signings during the January transfer window – and BBC Sport Wales pundit Roberts says Cardiff must look to strengthen.

“I think they have looked leggy for a while,” said Roberts.

“Obviously putting the ball in the net is a massive problem. Erol Bulut has tried different formulas in the final third and he still doesn’t know what his best solution is.

“The man needs a bit of help. I do think he needs a bit of help this month.

“This team is crying out for some creativity.”

Cardiff are 13th in the Championship – although they are only three points outside the top six – after the Leeds loss.

They have won their last two away league games, but have taken only one point from the last 12 on offer at home.

“I look at the last two visitors to the Cardiff City Stadium, Leicester and Leeds, and the gulf between the two squads and Cardiff is incredible,” Roberts added on BBC Radio Wales’ Call Rob Phillips phone-in.

“It’s hard to compete against those two and Southampton. Ipswich have done unbelievably well to stay up there.

“Leeds were outstanding, Cardiff were disappointing again.”

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Cardiff's pursuit of Umut Nayir appears to be over after manager Erol Bulut revealed after Saturday's 3-0 defeat by Leeds that the striker had opted to join Turkish club Pendikspor.

Bulut also confirmed that the Bluebirds had signed Japanese defender Ryotaro Tsunoda - but he has immediately joined KV Kortrijk, the Belgian club owned by Cardiff owner Vincent Tan, on loan.

And in another bit of transfer news that followed the Leeds defeat, Bulut revealed that centre-back Jonathan Panzo has returned to Nottingham Forest after having his loan cut short.

"He will be back at Nottingham Forest so we have to take a look at other players," said Bulut.

Panzo made only four substitute appearances for Cardiff in the Championship, and started one game in the League Cup.

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This is what Cardiff manager Erol Bulut had to say about that disappointing 3-0 home defeat by Leeds United.

On Cardiff's performance: “Of course we didn’t expect to lose the game like that. We know about the strong side of Leeds United, but my players today respected the opponent too much.

“We have a quality, better team in front of us, but we have to at least show more fighting spirit and try more to score. You can lose a game, but you have to fight and today was not that case.

“There were too many individual mistakes. If you make mistakes, quality opponents punish you and we got punished like that.”

On failing to deal with Leeds' pressing: “The opponent was pressing but the mistakes we made were not due to the pressure from the opponent. They were simple mistakes we shouldn’t make.

“We were not aggressive enough and not speedy enough. Shadow marking will not help us. We all have to go together and press with speed and aggression. The first half was not that case. We were far away from the opponent."

On Cardiff's home form, picking up four points from a possible 21: “I don’t think about the home or away form. We have to see it generally.

"For us it’s very important to take as many points as possible. We are now at 37 points, we still have 19 games to play so enough points to collect, but with better performances than that."

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Cardiff boss Erol Bulut says Aaron Ramsey is around 10 days away from resuming training.

The Bluebirds and Wales captain Ramsey, 33, has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in mid-September.

His return would be a welcome boost for club and country.

“Aaron I think next week, 10 days, he will start [training] with the team,” Bulut said.

“He is doing well. I hope he can continue then without any problems and he can be in the team.

“These injuries are always on a small line - something can always happen that an injury again can finish the season for the players.

“Ramsey is a very important players for us. We can see it on the field.”

Cardiff have yet to make a signing in January, but are offloading youngsters who they believe will benefit from regular football elsewhere.

Former Tottenham Hotspur player Malachi Fagan-Walcott has joined Scottish club Dunfermline on loan for the rest of the season.

The ex-England under-17 defender, who joined from Spurs in August, was an unused substitute in the 4-0 FA Cup third round exit at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday. He has yet to make a league appearance for Cardiff.

Fagan-Walcott previously had a loan spell in Scotland in 2021 at then Scottish championship outfit Dundee.

Meanwhile Brithdir product Kieron Evans, a Wales under-20 player, is poised to join National League side Gateshead on loan.

Evans, 22, has made four cup appearances for Cardiff this term, but also has Championship experience.

Last term, Evans had a season long loan at Torquay United.

Rubin Colwill may be 21 by now - and turning 22 in April - but he's only just stopped growing.

Long after he'd started playing for Cardiff and Wales, the attacking midfielder struggled with injuries as a result of growth spurts.

Now having reached 6ft 3in and seemingly stopped growing, Colwill is fully fit and hopes to keep his place in the Cardiff team as they chase a Championship play-off place.

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The Gambia squad travelling to Ivory Coast for the upcoming 2023 Africa Cup of Nations "could have died" during a flight that was aborted, coach Tom Saintfiet claimed.

The Air Cote d'Ivoire flight turned around just minutes after leaving the Gambian capital Banjul on Wednesday.

Saintfiet believes there was a lack of oxygen, saying conditions prompted many of the delegation to fall asleep. The coach praised quick thinking by the pilot for keeping his team safe.

Officials from the airline confirmed there had been a pressurisation problem.

Cardiff midfielder Ebou Adams was one of the players on board.

“We know that he is OK and all the team is OK," said Bluebirds manager Erol Bulut.

"We could expect more from the Gambian national team to inform the clubs about their players. This we didn’t have.

“But we know everything is OK.”

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You may have noticed that Erol Bulut has been speaking to the media today, and he had plenty to say.

As well as talking about his own future and Cardiff's transfer plans, Bulut had some bad news on the injury front.

Midfielder-turned-left-back Callum O'Dowda has suffered a setback in his recovery from groin surgery and is facing another six weeks out.

“He was starting with us and then he got a small injury," said Bulut.

"Because of the injury he had, that can happen. It happened to him. Now it looks like six weeks (from today) until he’s back playing. We are not lucky with this.”

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Manager Erol Bulut says Cardiff City are "close" to completing their first two signings of the January transfer window.

The Bluebirds are particularly keen on signing a striker and are interested in recruiting Fenerbahce's Turkey international Umut Nayir as well as bringing Bournemouth and Wales front man Kieffer Moore back to Cardiff City Stadium.

"We are close to two players, yes, but we haven't finalised anything," said Bulut.

"It can be quick, tomorrow, but it can also be next week that it is finished.

"Many players are on our target. It doesn’t say only we are looking for those players."

On Nayir, Bulut added: "It is not only him. We have a few players, strikers, on our target. We cannot focus on only one player. If we don't get it then we don't have another option.

"Umut Nayir is one of those players we are interested in, like Kieffer Moore, like how we said at the start of the season.

"We want him [Moore], but two or three clubs are interested in him. It's also a point from his club that they need to buy a striker. It takes time for them to let him go. And I lose time because of this.

"So I need options. I have these options, Umut Nayir and one or two other players where I can immediately take one of them. If not then I have nothing."

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Striker Ike Ugbo has cut short his loan spell at Cardiff City and is set to join Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

Ugbo, 25, scored four goals in 22 appearances – 11 of which were starts – after joining the Bluebirds on a season-long loan from French club Troyes.

But Ugbo has not been able to hold down a regular starting spot and, with Cardiff boss Erol Bulut chasing other forwards this month, the former Chelsea youngster has departed.

Cardiff are keen on Wales striker Kieffer Moore and Turkey international Mehmet Umut Nayir.

Erol Bulut is back from illness to take charge at Cardiff City.

Bulut has been laid low by a virus and missed Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup exit at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.

His assistant Nikolaos Karydas took charge for the third round tie at Hillsborough.

Bulut has returned to the Cardiff training base to prepare for Saturday’s Championship home game with Leeds United.

The former Fenerbahce manager made his comeback on Tuesday as the players reported back for training.

Despite experience in a stand-in role and a jovial manner in the press conference ahead of the game, Karydas will no doubt be relieved.

He predicted Bulut would be fit for Cardiff’s return to Championship action.

Karydas joked at the end of the Sheffield Wednesday game: “It was not the first time I have been a caretaker manager.

“But I wanted to call Erol and tell him ‘come back soon please’ I prefer to be a good assistant than to be a manager.”

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South Wales derby hero Ollie Tanner could be in line for a change of role at Cardiff City.

The winger, who scored a memorable goal in the 2-0 Championship victory over Swansea City, in September, played as a left sided defender in Saturday’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

His inclusion in the defence was one of six changes for the tie, but also a deliberate decision by manager Erol Bulut to see how the former Lewes man would cope.

Bulut was absent for the game because of illness, with assistant Nicolaos Karydas at the helm for the occasion.

Karydas said: “Erol wanted for the last month or may be more to start to prepare Ollie as a full back. Many times in training he has played as a full back.

“(This) was a good chance to see if we gave give a breather to Jamilu Collins or if Callum O’Dowda does not come back soon. He showed he is a good choice for us as a good solution for this position, he played well.”

Cardiff have relied mainly on Nigerian international Collins in the left back berth this season, especially in the absence of Callum O’Dowda, who has been sidelined since August with an injury which needed surgery.

O’Dowda, who was particularly impressive last term, is expected back in the next few weeks.

Joel Bagan, a specialist left back with Championship experience, is currently on loan at Belgian Pro-League outfit Zulte Waragem.

Bulut has already said he is keen for more of Cardiff’s youngsters to go out on loan.

But clearly Bulut sees the potential in the position for 21-year-old Tanner, who signed a new contract in October, keeping him at the club until 2027.

Tanner has yet to add to his spectacular goal as a substitute against Swansea. But given Cardiff’s dreadful recent derby record, it elevated him to hero status among the Cardiff faithful.

“Everywhere I go I always get asked about it but its nice," he said. "It is a good memory to have and something good to talk about. But I need to make another memory now, it cannot just be all about that.”