Cardiff City should push to sign Ali Al-Hamadi and Martial Godo as early as next week | OneFootball

Football League World looks at two signings Cardiff City should be looking to make ASAP

The January transfer window is poised to be one of paramount importance for Cardiff City, who simply must get it right and address their own flaws in order to stave off the all-too-eerie threat of relegation to League One.

Having just passed the campaign's midway point, it would be difficult to argue it's shaped up to be anything other than a significant disappointment as far as the Bluebirds are concerned.

Rightly or wrongly - perhaps prematurely, the benefit of hindsight would now suggest - excitement was palpably generated within the Welsh capital across a summer window which saw former manager Erol Bulut welcome the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, Callum Chambers, Chris Willock, Alex Robertson and Jesper Daland to his ranks, but the perennial issues have failed to shift and Cardiff find themselves in the quagmire of a hotly-contested, dogged Championship relegation battle.

Cardiff are one of the division's worst sides in the crucial context of league position, of course, but also in both boxes - and multiple areas of this squad urgently need addressing if they're to remain a Championship club come May. That's the call of duty which the club's key decision-makers are now tasked with fulfilling, with controversial owner Vincent Tan under significant pressure from supporters once again.

The top-end of the pitch, however, is perhaps where Cardiff are poorest, and that's a frustratingly recurring theme. The matches are coming thick and fast, time is of the essence and the Bluebirds desperately need additional quality, so with that in mind, Football League World has summarised two signings which City must be striving to complete by next week...

Ali Al-Hamadi

Once again, Cardiff have sorely struggled for goals this term and the continuation of that deficiency should lead them in the direction of a player in the mold of Ipswich Town's Ali Al-Hamadi, who could well leave Portman Road on loan this window with opportunities proving difficult to come by in the Premier League.

The former Swansea City youth team prospect made his name with League Two side Wimbledon and scored 27 times from 48 appearances across a goal-laden twelve-month spell before earning a move to Ipswich last January.

Al-Hamadi played his role in the Tractor Boys' unprecedented top-flight promotion by scoring four goals despite starting just once, but he's yet to even make a Premier League start this season. That's in no small part due to the form of England youth international Liam Delap, of course, and Kieran McKenna's striking stable isn't exactly stocked either - so it would be no great surprise to see the 22-year-old remain in the building beyond January for the purpose of depth.

But he does need a loan and those discussions will naturally be had, one can imagine. Should Al-Hamadi be made available, he would surely have no shortage of suitors at second-tier level, but Cardiff could promise regular game time to a player in sore need of it.

Callum Robinson is the side's leading goalscorer with eight strikes, and leads the line with great aplomb when available, but his fitness record is a cause for concern and is currently set to miss the next three matches after his controversial straight red card in the 1-1 draw with Coventry City on New Year's Day.

Hertha Berlin loanee Wilfried Kanga, meanwhile, is yet to open his account, and both Isaak Davies and Kion Etete still haven't kicked a ball in anger after suffering long-term hamstring injuries in pre-season.

A striker is urgently needed, particularly at this moment in time amid Robinson's suspension. Cardiff must act quickly and Al-Hamadi should really be made available for a loan exit, so it makes plenty of sense for all parties.

Martial Godo

Cardiff's shortcomings in the final third also lend themselves to the lack of directness and creativity from wide areas, issues which must be actioned in the coming days and weeks.

It's not as if the Bluebirds are short of bodies, rather output and consistency are both problems among the options. El Ghazi and Yakou Meite have both, by and large, flattered to deceive this term.

22-year-old winger Ollie Tanner brings many redeeming qualities but perhaps still lacks the end product and consistency to start week-in, week-out at Championship level, though Chris Willock and Cian Ashford have both kicked on as of late and that's a source of relative positivity for Cardiff to take from the last week or so.

Regardless, though, Cardiff still need more options, and would benefit from a more direct profile of winger, one who is comfortable standing up opposing full-backs and possesses the raw pace to get the side upfield quickly in transition. Martial Godo may be something of an unknown quantity at Championship level, but he fits that bill to a tee and must be considered by the Bluebirds.

Most at home on the right-hand side, the 21-year-old enjoyed a promising loan spell with League One side Wigan Athletic last time out as he returned four goals and five assists in his first campaign in senior football. At that age, with plenty of learning and experience ahead, there is so much more to come from Godo, and Cardiff could really do with fighting to make themselves the recipients of his rich potential.

Tricky and direct, Godo has quick feet, thrives in tight spaces due to his excellent close control and can be a nightmare for defenders - which Manchester United learned during last January's FA Cup tie against the Latics.

But since returning to parent club Fulham, Godo has played just 14 minutes of Premier League football and is very far down in Marco Silva's pecking order, though that's no such slight given the popular Portuguese boss has the likes of Adama Traore, Alex Iwobi, ex-Bluebirds loan star Harry Wilson and Reiss Nelson - when fit - to call upon for a side he has eighth in the top-flight.

It does mean, however, that an exit is surely on the cards this month, be that on loan or permanently. Godo was heavily linked with a loan move to Championship rivals Blackburn Rovers in the summer, which failed to materialise, but whether he has a clear pathway into the first-team at Craven Cottage remains to be seen and that could just open the door for a full-time departure - though he did sign a four-year contract extension in September.

Cardiff neglected to utilise the Premier League loan market during the summer despite their previous track record in that department and certain issues - namely pace and goals - not being ironed out under Bulut.

They should, then, be looking to learn from that and bring in a few youngsters from the Premier League in what would typically be loan moves, although a permanent transfer for Godo would be both intriguing and realistic.