By Jake Maddaford
Cardiff City have now confirmed four summer signings, the latest being ex-Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi who has arrived on a free transfer.
The 29-year-old joins on a year-long deal, adding quality out wide to the Bluebirds squad ahead of what is bound to be a challenging season in the Championship this year.
El Ghazi left Bundesliga club Mainz last autumn after a dispute over a social media post.
It's past midnight! August is here and so is Anwar! ✍️@elghazi1995 is a #Bluebird! 💙#CityAsOne pic.twitter.com/wdC7stsF7l
— Cardiff City FC (@CardiffCityFC) July 31, 2024
But what about Cardiff’s other acquisitions? Who are they and how have they settled into life in the Welsh capital so far?
1. Chris Willock
Cardiff’s first bit of business was the signing of Chris Willock, following the expiry of his contract at Queens Park Rangers.
Starting in Arsenal’s academy alongside brother and current Newcastle midfielder Joe, Chris was released by the Gunners and made a move to Benfica in the hope of first team football.
His time in Portugal, however, was disappointing. He was sent out on loans to Championship sides West Brom and Huddersfield, before joining QPR in 2020.
The 26-year-old was a shining light for his club last season, getting four goals and assists in 39 appearances.
While he hasn’t yet scored for Cardiff during pre-season, he has offered pace out wide and could prove to be a very useful outlet for the Bluebirds this season.
2. Calum Chambers
Cardiff followed up the signing of Willock with a move for Calum Chambers from Aston Villa on a free transfer, following the termination of his contract with the club.
Once costing Arsenal £17m as a 19-year-old, Chambers’ move to Villa, in January 2022, hasn’t gone the way he hoped it would pan out.
Following the dismissal of Steven Gerrard that October, Unai Emery’s arrival saw Chambers fall down the pecking order at Villa Park.
Despite Cardiff having a settled defence for most of last season, Chambers’ arrival will add quality to the Bluebirds’ back line and supply Premier League experience to go with it.
Making his first start of pre-season against Reading on Wednesday night, Chambers was withdrawn at half time. He did show early promise in the game and Cardiff fans will hope that will continue.
3. Wilfried Kanga
Joining on loan from German side Hertha Berlin, Wilfried Kanga showed promise when on loan at Belgian outfit Standard Liege last season, scoring 12 goals in 36 games.
Able to play both on the right and up front, Kanga offers versatility and at six foot two inches, gives Cardiff an outlet should they aim to go long.
Kanga does have some top flight experience to his name as well. Joining Hertha in 2022, he scored twice in just 15 starts as his side unfortunately got relegated.
While Cardiff do have many forward options currently, they have lacked a striker capable of consistently finding the back of the net for a while Given Kanga’s track record, there is reason for supporters to be excited over the possibility he could bring an end to that shortage of fire power.
✍🏻✅ Chris Willock
✍🏻✅ Callum Chambers
✍🏻✅ Wilfred Kanga
✍🏻✅ Anwar El GhaziHow happy are you with our current transfer business this window? pic.twitter.com/GJOmuQVQM1
— Ninian Talk 🐦 (@Ninian_Talk) August 1, 2024