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Cardiff reviving interest in their £1m summer target could prove to be crucial going forward

Why Cardiff City should go back in the market for Eamonn Brophy

Back in July, during the 2019 summer transfer window, a report from Daily Mail (h/t The Scottish Sun) claimed that Cardiff City had been interested in completing a move for Kilmarnock striker Eamonn Brophy.

The 23-year-old, who grabbed as many as 12 goals and 3 assists for Killie in all competitions last season, had been identified by then Bluebirds manager, Neil Warnock, as a potential transfer target in the summer.

However, the South Wales-based outfit eventually dropped their interest in the Scottish hitman and set their sights elsewhere to bolster their ranks following their relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2018-19 season. 

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Eamonn Brophy had been linked with a move to Cardiff City back in the summer window (Getty Images)

Having lost Kenneth Zohore to promotion rivals West Brom prior to the start of the ongoing campaign, Cardiff City roped in Robert Glatzel on a big-money deal from German second-tier club Heidenheim while also completing a move to snap up Isaac Vassell from Birmingham City.

Indeed, that looked like a shrewd piece of business for the Bluebirds in the summer window given that Glatzel came through the door with a fantastic strike rate at Heidenheim in the Bundesliga 2.

However, four months down the line and almost half of the season done and dusted heading into the busy Christmas period, Cardiff City currently find themselves at 8th place in the standings, just one point adrift of the playoff spots.

It hasn’t quite been a scintillating start to the season that the fans would initially have hoped for, with the Bluebirds’ inconsistencies clearly reflected by their tally of 8 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses in 20 games so far.

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Brophy bagged 12 goals and 3 assists for Kilmarnock in all competitions last season (Getty Images)

Neil Harris has guided the club to back-to-back victories over Stoke City and Nottingham Forest since taking over the reins from Neil Warnock in November, however, one does get the feeling that Cardiff City have a lot of work to do during the second half of the campaign if they are to secure a return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Returns of 30 goals scored in 20 Championship games look quite decent on paper but it is imperative to point out that Cardiff have had those goals evenly spread out through their squad, with the club’s strike force just not doing enough to help them in their promotion surge.

Vassell (1), Omar Bogle (1), Danny Ward (5) and Glatzel (2) have only shared 9 league goals among them so far while Gary Madine, who has been handed starts by new manager Harris, is yet to find the net in the Championship this term.

To put things into perspective, those numbers do not make for impressive reading and that is exactly why Cardiff City should look to add some more firepower to their attack during the January transfer window. 

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Eamonn Brophy was handed his senior international debut for Scotland earlier in the year (Getty Images)

With that in mind, Eamonn Brophy, who had been linked with a move to South Wales back in the summer, might not be the most prolific striker on Cardiff’s shortlist but he looks like a handy cost-effective option for the Bluebirds who could well fit into their long-term plans moving forward.

The 23-year-old was identified as a £1million transfer target (Daily Mail h/t Scottish Sun) this past summer and if the Bluebirds manage to secure his services for a fee in that region, then he might as well prove to be a massive bargain. 

Brophy, who completed his development with Celtic and Hibernian earlier in his career before shooting to prominence with Hamilton Academical in his homeland, has gone from strength to strength since his move to Kilmarnock back in 2017.

The Glasgow-born striker enjoyed a wonderful time under Angelo Alessio at Rugby Park last term and while a tally of 4 goals and 1 assist in 18 appearances in the ongoing campaign suggest that he is yet to replicate his heroics from the 2018-19 season, Brophy looks like a player in the right age bracket for Cardiff City. 

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Credits: Getty Images

Verdict

The 1-cap Scottish international still has a lot of room for improvement in his game at 23 while decent returns of 24 goals and 7 assists in 82 appearances for Kille suggest that he could have what it takes to make the step up to the EFL Championship in the years to come.

Vassell and Bogle aren’t really proven players in the Championship and given that they haven’t really shown any significant signs of progress in South Wales so far, moving for a promising striker like Eamonn Brophy would definitely make a lot of sense. 

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All in all, Cardiff City making a renewed attempt to sign Eamonn Brophy during the mid-season trading period could pay off handsomely.