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Neil Warnock To Carry On With Cardiff . . . But Budget Talks Continue

Neil Warnock is set to stay on as Cardiff City manager after holding talks with chairman Mehmet Dalman and chief executive Ken Choo.

But the Bluebirds manager has yet to thrash out the precise details of how much investment he will be able to give to his squad as they seek to return to the Premier League.

It is anticipated more talks will be held regarding a fresh budget – signed off by owner Vincent Tan – that is considered sufficient to mount another promotion challenge from the Championship.

Warnock met Dalman and Choo in London on Monday, where a broad agreement was reached that more players are needed to plug extensive gaps next season.

The 70-year-old boss – who would be chasing a record ninth promotion in the final year of his contract – has already spoken about the need to bring in three or four new players.

Specifically, Warnock wants to acquire two midfielders to replace loan singings Victor Camarasa and Harry Arter – who are both leaving – as well as a new striker and centre-back.

Oumar Niasse is also moving on after his loan spell, the death of Emiliano Sala left a selection void as well as an emotional one, while injuries to both captain Sean Morrison and Sol Bamba at different stages of the season exposed the lack of defensive options.

Warnock will also want to hang on to the majority of his current squad, although he may well have to consider incoming bids for goalkeeper Neil Etheridge, plus wingers Josh Murphy and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing.

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Tan was reluctant to sanction a spending spree 12 months ago when Cardiff were promoted and the club’s £30m outlay paled into significance when compared to the £100m-plus spent by both Wolves and Fulham.

But Warnock will argue that for another comparatively modest outlay, the club can be competitive against the likes of Huddersfield, Fulham, Stoke City, Swansea City, Sheffield Wednesday and three from Aston Villa, West Brom, Leeds United and Derby County, depending on the outcome of the current Championship play-offs.

After the 2-0 win against Manchester United on Sunday, Warnock said he would relish the chance to achieve a ninth promotion as a manager.

“I’m going to have one more year in the Championship,” he said.

“It’d be nice to get a ninth promotion. I never thought I’d be going for it but the wife’s keen!”

He added: “We will need two or three signings to get us up there and give us a shout because that’s what I want to do.

“I think it’s vital that we can look to get them as quickly as possible, really.”

 

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