Mitch Freeley

After upsetting the odds in the Championship last season, Neil Warnock’s Cardiff will be looking to beat the drop, and thrive in the Premier League. This will be the Welsh sides second ever season in the Premier League, and survival is the aim for the team. 

So far in the transfer market, Warnock has kept hold of the side that got promoted last year whilst adding high-level Championship players to the squad. The highlight of which is Bobby Reid who joined from local rivals Bristol City for a reported £10 million fee. The 25-year old scored 19 goals in the Championship last season and will be looking to chip in with goals for his new team. 

Aron Gunnarsson captained Iceland in their maiden World Cup appearance in the summer, and the no-nonsense midfielder is expected to start the season in central midfield. Gunnarsson has been with the club since 2011 and is a firm fan favourite. Very much the embodiment of Warnock’style at Cardiff, expect the midfielder to fly into tackles and use his physicality to get the better of opponents. 

Transfers (at the time of publishing)

Ins- Bobby Reid [Bristol City] reported £10m, Alex Smithies [QPR] reported £3.5m, Greg Cunningham [Preston] Undisclosed, Josh Murphy [Norwich] Undisclosed

Outs- None

First Five Premier League Fixtures

11/08/18 Bournemouth Vs Cardiff City-17:00- beIN SPORTS CONNECT
18/08/18 Cardiff City Vs Newcastle-14:30- beIN SPORTS CONNECT
25/08/18 Huddersfield Vs Cardiff City -17:00- beIN SPORTS CONNECT
02/09/18 Cardiff City Vs Arsenal -15:30- beIN SPORTS CONNECT
15/09/18 Chelsea Vs Cardiff City -17:00- beIN SPORTS CONNECT

Fan View- Paul Corkrey- @corkyfsfcymru on Twitter

How has the summer Transfer window been? The transfer window is what we expected with Warnock looking for young hungry players who excelled in the Championship and therefore would be keen to play in the top flight without asking for big money. The fear is any big earners or players that won't fit into the team spirit would disrupt the squad. I’m puzzled by the rumour that Troy Deeney and his huge wages have been linked with Cardiff. I still expect three more players to join maybe two on loan possibly two midfield and a striker. 

Player to watch? Summer signing Bobby Reid has been exciting in pre-season. However, Junior Holliet will be consistently good all season in my opinion.

How’s the manager going to do? Neil Warnock believes he has not had a fair crack at the Premier League and he will prove how good a manager he is this season just like he did last year when he guided Cardiff to promotion ahead of other clubs with much bigger budgets. 

What would be a dream season for your team? Staying up is our priority but a dream season would be finishing in the top half.  The club needs to maintain this level and then build on that. 
 

Premier League finish? A 16th place finish.
 

beIN SPORTS Prediction- 19
(Note this is an average of the predictions from the beIN SPORTS team)

You can watch Live & Exclusive coverage of Cardiff's Premier League season with beIN SPORTS Connect.