4 players Cardiff City should be scouting ahead of the January transfer window | OneFootball

Highlights

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Championship clubs will be looking to bolster their squads in a bid to move up the table.

After having an embargo in place during the last three transfer windows which meant they couldn't pay fees for players, Cardiff City will be looking to spend some money as they look to make an unexpected play-off push under Erol Bulut.

The Welsh club are in 9th spot, just two points outside the top six, so a good transfer window could make all the difference.

1 Anastasios Bakasetas

Greece captain Bakasetas would probably be an unlikely signing for most Championship clubs, but not the Bluebirds under Bulut.

The attacking midfielder played under Bulut at Alanyaspor before the Greek man departed in 2021, where he joined fellow Turkish club Trabzonspor. While at Trabzonspor, Bakasetas played alongside current Cardiff midfielder Manolis Siopis.

Cardiff have two current Greek internationals on the books in Siopis and Dimitrios Goutas. Perhaps their national team captain would like to join them in south Wales? If Bulut could convince his former Alanyaspor player to make the move to South Wales, it would represent a significant coup for the Bluebirds.

2 Jordan James

Welshman James has found game time hard to come by at Birmingham City despite impressing at senior international level in a red shirt. He's made just four starts at Championship level this season, and despite being only 19-years-old, James may feel like he deserves more of a chance given his international performances against the likes of Croatia.

The centre-midfielder is only going to get better in the years to come and given his exploits for Wales, he should be someone Bulut looks at in January.

However, it seems as if current Blues' boss Wayne Rooney is more of a fan of James than predecessor John Eustace. Having started the Blues' last three games, James will be satisfied with his recent game time.

3 Leo Hjelde

BBC Sport have reported that Cardiff may target a left-back during January. Leeds' Leo Hjelde might just fit the bill given his lack of Championship game time this season.

Having played just 45 minutes of league football this season, Leeds may well look to loan out Hjelde, who spent the second-half of last season on loan at Rotherham United.

Given the possibility of Jamilu Collins being selected for Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations squad, a short-term loan until the end of the season would give Cardiff the cover they need at left-back. The 20-year-old Norweigan would provide cover and give the youngster a better chance of playing Championship football. It would be a beneficial move for all parties without breaking the bank.

4 Salih Uçan

In October, Turkish news outlet Fanatik reported that Cardiff were monitoring Ucan's situation and wanted to add him to the squad in January. The 29-year-old is a deep-lying midfielder and has 3 caps for the Turkish national team.

It's well-documented that Bulut wants to strengthen the midfielder and the Besiktas man could prove a viable option. Ucan worked under Bulut at Alanyaspor and the Turkish manager may be keen to reunite with the midfielder.

The 29-year-old's contract at Besiktas expires at the end of the season. He's made 18 appearances in all competions for the Istanbul-based side this season.