The Bluebirds boss has traveled back to Turkey while we await the outcome of his future.
More than a week has passed since Cardiff City’s Championship season ended, and the club’s fans are still waiting for news on Erol Bulut’s future as manager.
Bluebirds fans will be familiar with this feeling, since they were in the same situation a year ago when Sabri Lamouchi was still in charge.
Bulut led Cardiff to a 12th-place finish this semester. It was a rocky voyage at times, but overall, it was progress. It is the first time the team has finished higher in the league than the previous season since their last appearance in the Premier League in 2019 under Neil Warnock. Bulut is also the only manager to oversee a complete league season since Warnock.
Green shoots of positivity? Absolutely. Is there still much room for improvement? Definitely. However, this standoff benefits no one, and the sooner it is resolved, the better the chances of 2024/25 being a true success. So, what is the current situation? Let us have a look.
What’s the situation?
According to our understanding, Bulut is currently receiving a contract offer. Bulut has traveled back to Istanbul to spend time with his family and children, and he is expected to go on vacation with them.
Cardiff had wanted to have the matter handled by the end of this week, but that deadline will now be missed. Bulut’s coaching staff has returned to their separate homes in Greece and Germany, and the players are said to be just as confused as the fans. In some form, an update is likely within the next week.
What’s the hold-up?
Clearly, many things are at play here. One major topic of controversy is the duration of the contract offer. Bulut has stated that he wants more than a one-year contract to build — “I don’t want to be a guest again for one more year, I want to be part of the family for the future” — but owner Vincent Tan is hesitant to offer a longer-term contract, which a succession of managers have now had to deal with.
There are further underlying concerns, but all are regarded to be resolvable. Bulut has spoken about strengthening his coaching staff and the club’s recruitment department, while assurances on transfers will have been sought after navigating two difficult windows last season — one with a partial transfer embargo and one in which they had to cancel their plans two days before the deadline.
One school of thinking holds that, while remedies can be discovered for the aforementioned issues, the management values the security that comes with a lengthier contract. And it is understandable, given how frequently the club has fired managers in recent years. But there is hope that if the two parties can resolve the length-of-contract issue, things will start to move swiftly.
Naturally, many fans will wonder whether break clauses to potentially shorten a longer term or extension triggers to lengthen a shorter deal — whatever way you look at it — have been included in the offer on the table. That is unknown at this time, but logic implies that it will undoubtedly have been discussed.
Solve that issue, then the other more subtle concerns that cannot be included in these types of contracts can be addressed. That’s the hope of some inside the club, at least.
Of course, you cannot blame Bulut for taking his time. After all, this was something the management and coaching staff wanted resolved before Christmas. Perhaps it is now his turn to take his time and consider all choices.
