news-engine

Barry-Murphy says Cardiff City 'need new players' and one area needs strengthening Brian Barry-Murphy says Cardiff City “need new players” as he admits the squad must be strengthened, with left-back a key area Brian Barry-Murphy has admitted Cardiff City “need new players” and says the club are looking to make further additions to the squad before the Championship season gets under way. The Bluebirds have made just two additions so far this summer, with goalkeeper Nathan Trott joining permanently after his loan spell last season and Jack Moylan arriving from Lincoln City this week. Moylan made an instant impact on his Cardiff debut on Saturday, coming off the bench to score the winner in a 3-2 Carabao Cup victory over Swindon Town. But Barry-Murphy was left acutely aware of the limitations of his squad after a number of absences left him short of options. Cardiff were without Will Fish, Dylan Lawlor, Calum Chambers and Rubin Colwill for the cup tie, while Joel Bagan took a knock during the first half which sent some worry among supporters with the lack of reinforcements on the bench. Asked whether he expected more players to arrive before the Championship campaign begins, Barry-Murphy was unequivocal. Join the Cardiff City breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community. “I think we need new players. I think we need additions,” he said. “You saw how stretched we are in terms of numbers today, and that's even if the players who are injured were fit. We're very conscious that we have to strengthen the squad.” The Cardiff boss was then asked whether there was a realistic prospect of further arrivals before the league opener against Wrexham. “The timescale is impossible at the moment,” he said. “It's been a window that's been influenced by the World Cup, and it seems to be difficult to put a time on anything.” The need for reinforcements was particularly apparent at left-back on Saturday. Bagan started against Swindon but went down during the first half, leaving Cardiff with little cover in that position given their existing absences. When Barry-Murphy was asked by WalesOnline whether left-back was an area the club would be actively looking to strengthen, his response was: “I think you're right. Good judge.“ The Cardiff manager was also pressed on whether the club's recruitment strategy would involve a mixture of loan and permanent additions. “I'm not sure of the make-up of who we bring in, but just to be honest with our supporters, we are looking to make additions,” he said. That would represent further movement in a transfer window in which Cardiff have already been active in reshaping the squad, although Moylan remains their only outfield arrival so far. The club are also working on potential exits, with Kion Etete and Roko Simic both attracting loan interest. Neither player was involved in Saturday's first-team squad, with both featuring for the under-21s instead. Barry-Murphy confirmed that the intention is for both to leave on loan if the right opportunities arise. “The intention is that they have loan interest,” he said. “I don't know whether the loans that have come in for them have been what they want yet, but we're hoping to keep them in the best of shape so that when the opportunity comes for them that they want, they're in the best possible condition to go and do their job.”