Brian Barry-Murphy on transfer strategy after first signing announced

[Michael Morris]

https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...ealed-32208802

Brian Barry-Murphy has given a detailed breakdown of how Cardiff City will conduct the remainder of their transfer business after securing his first signing as Bluebirds boss.

Nathan Trott was confirmed as Cardiff's first signing of the summer, with the Bluebirds boss confirming there is a clause in the player's contract which stipulates that the club hold an option to buy him from FC Copenhagen if they are promoted. However, Trott is unlikely to be the only player through the door before the end of the window, with work very much under way behind the scenes.

"It's a big relief," Barry-Murphy said of Trott's signing. "We have certain positions we want to improve in the squad and Nathan Trott fits that. To get him in the club is testament to the work everyone has done behind the scenes. He's trained and he's good to go.

"It's an ongoing process. The people behind the scenes in particular have been working really hard and I suppose I've put a lot of demands on a lot of things at the club in a short period of time and that's been very evident in the recruitment department.

"To see the work going on behind the scenes is satisfying for me.

"We have a vision that's really aligned, myself, the board and on the behalf of the supporters, it's really specific profiles that we want to bring into the club."

City have seen 13 players leave the club this summer, the most recent of which was Ryotaro Tsunoda, who re-joined Yokohama F Marinos 18 months after leaving the Japanese outfit without playing a single game for Cardiff.

He, along with Roko Simic, proved disastrous signings, which then-manager Erol Bulut totally distanced himself from - branding them "club signings". Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.

Clearly, Cardiff supporters want reassurances these sort of multi-million pound mistakes are in the past. And, taking supporters through the signing process in detail, Barry-Murphy went some way to allaying any fears those deals might happen again.

"I will only answer from my own point of view. I have worked really specifically with the recruitment department," he said.

"Patrick (Deboys), I've been really demanding of the type of profile I want to bring into the club. So, Nathan Trott is a million percent a signing I was fully active in making sure the club was on board and aligned with.

"So there is no one else responsible for that other than me, the recruitment team and the ownership as part of that. It's genuine collaboration.

"We have daily meetings where we discuss the overview of the squad and each position. Then we have certain characteristics that fit into those profiles.

"Then we start to go through the finer details of which positions are of more priority. When you go through the process, some players become available, then the recruitment team do their due diligence, deeper research, and we present the overall package to the board and it becomes a genuine collaboration that works well from my previous experience."
Another piece of business Cardiff have conducted is tying down Ollie Tanner to a new deal. The winger, 23, has signed an extension to his contract which will see him remain with City until 2029.

A player with clear potential, Tanner could really have a big impact for City in their push for promotion this year. And Barry-Murphy was effusive in his praise of the winger.

"It's very important that we show the players here how valued they are, not just with words but with actions. Ollie has been outstanding in pre-season," he added.

"The way he plays the game is very in-tune with the way I see the game being played. So to see him commit to the club is really beneficial to me and I'm really grateful he feels can be part of the club moving forward.

"He definitely has the capacity (to make a big impact). If he wasn't here, he would definitely be the type of wide player we would be looking to recruit. He has all the traits we would want in a wide player.

"To see him improve this season will be very important and we have competition in that wide area."

And, with Perry Ng, Ryan Wintle, Dylan Lawlor, Isaak Davies, Joel Bagan and Matthew Turner out of contract next June, Barry-Murphy has been clear that others need to be tied down to new deals soon, too.

"I made my feelings really clear on how much we value the players in the building and hopefully there will be follow Ollie's example," he said.

While the turbulent nature of the transfer window means you cannot accurately predict exactly how many players City will sign before the end of the window, Barry-Murphy corroborated chairman Mehmet Dalman's assessment by stating that "three or four" more are likely.

He said: "I am assessing all the players individually. All the areas of the pitch we are focussing on. If I say we are looking to sign a left winger and we sign a right winger, then it becomes 'You said this, you said that'.

"As a general overview we are looking to improve all areas of the team, from back to front - it's working in that order, based on the first signing!

"That's the message to the supporters, we are looking to bring in exceptional quality who we feel improves the starting XI. With every pound or penny spent on this squad, we feel we have a responsibility to the owner to treasure it, so we don't waste a penny.

"Nathan Trott is a sign of really specific work that's gone on. Every signing will have that importance, not just a signing for the sake of it, but to improve the squad."

[BLUEAWAY TOO]

Lots of very positive quotes, not dissimilar to sentiments pronounced by previous managers re having a plan and togetherness.
Will it work this time?

It also suggests to me that BBM would need to be very confident in the abilities of a DoF should one ever be appointed.

[Jamsarnie]

If I say we are looking to sign a left winger and we sign a right winger, then it becomes 'You said this, you said that'.

From the interviews I’ve seen on the official website, I’m getting the impression BB-M is already getting fed up with the local hacks he has to deal with at Cardiff, in a similar way Dave Jones was sick of answering boring, closed or obviously loaded questions.

This is second time BB-M responded to a loaded question with an answer and another answer for the obvious follow up question.

I must admit, I find some of the questions from the local journalists at Cardiff really stupid, like “are you ready for the new season”? I mean, how exactly would you expect an answer other than “yes”?

The interview with Salech last week was particularly cringeworthy, especially at the end when one of the journalists was looking for some cheap headlines, asking about Palestine and if any of Salech’s family were still living there. It was completely inappropriate. I don’t know who the journo is, he is a regular though. His style stinks!

[Des Parrot]

I’m warming to him. He’s straight forward and owning it. I hope they deliver everything he asks for and then we’ll see if he can walk the walk.