Cardiff City’s managerial pursuit dealt major blow as Championship rivals have secured key agreement 

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Cardiff City’s search for a new manager isn’t over yet, and it comes after a truly difficult year for the club.

Their 2024/25 season in the Championship started very poorly, with their first manager, Erol Bulut, being sacked after just one point from their opening six matches.

Omer Riza then took over, first temporarily and then permanently, brought a short burst of better results. However, the team’s form dipped again after February, and Riza was sacked in the final stages of the campaign.

Club legend Aaron Ramsey then stepped in as interim manager, but even he couldn’t prevent the Bluebirds from being relegated to League One.

This was a huge blow for the South Wales side, marking their return to the third tier of English football for the first time in over two decades.

Now, a key person Cardiff had hoped to get as their new manager is confirmed to be off the cards. With the transfer window now open, the Bluebirds will be hoping to sort this out quickly and find someone to lead them.

Nathan Jones pens new Charlton Athletic deal 

Despite only having led Charlton Athletic to League One play-off glory at the end of May, Cardiff City owner, Vincent Tan’s number one target was thought to be Nathan Jones.

EFL Analysis exclusively revealed earlier this week the reasons why the Bluebirds are finding it tough to entice Jones back to Wales.

Our Chief Football Correspondent Graeme Bailey said at the time: “I’m told that Nathan Jones was offered the job by Cardiff, but issues have arisen because his compensation has risen after Charlton’s promotion to the Championship.

• READ MORE: Charlton Athletic on course to make £20m announcement as financial ‘paradox’ explained

“As it stands, though, Jones insists that he is staying with Charlton. Although I am not sure Cardiff have given up on the idea just yet.”

And now unfortunately for Cardiff, Jones has penned his future with Charlton, signing a new five-year contract with the club, committing his future to the Addicks until the summer of 2030.

Following the announcement, Jones said: “I’m very proud and delighted. I still had three years left but for the club to come to me and want to continue that journey meant a lot to me because it’s a club that I love.

“We’ve just taken one big step, but that’s only one big step, we still have a long way to go to achieve our goals and I’m glad that I’ll continue to work towards that.”

Since joining Charlton in February 2024, Jones has overseen momentous progress both on and off the pitch.

After steering the club away from the relegation zone in 2023/24, Jones guided the Addicks to promotion from Sky Bet League One in his first full campaign in charge.

Who should Cardiff target now as their next managerial candidate? 

With Jones now definitively off the table, Cardiff City need a plan B. But who should they target next? We have taken a look at three potential names who could be just what they’re looking for. 

Aaron Ramsey

A top contender given he knows the club very well from his time playing there, and he recently stepped in as a temporary manager. He’s a leader and understands what goes on inside the team’s locker room, which is a big plus.

Even though he’s new to being a full-time manager, his experience playing for big clubs could help bring a winning attitude. However, the club would need to give him an experienced team of coaches to help him out since he’s still learning the ropes as a manager.

• READ MORE: Cardiff City will ‘obviously’ be interested in sacked Championship manager, says Sky Sports pundit

Des Buckingham

He recently left Oxford United, having previously helped them achieve promotion to the Championship at the end of the last season (2023/24). Buckingham’s coaching ideas come from his time working with clubs like Manchester City, and he likes his teams to play with the ball a lot and attack.

While he had some tough times at Oxford during the current Championship season, the fact that he guided a less-fancied team to promotion from League One shows he’s a coach who can build a good team. This makes him a strong contender for what Cardiff wants to achieve.

Ruben Selles

He was recently let go by Hull City after only a short time, but before that, he helped them avoid relegation from the Championship when things were tough. He was also well-liked at Reading, where he guided them through serious money troubles.

Selles is known for coaching teams that play with a lot of energy, and having a clear plan: this could give Cardiff a much-needed identity. His experience dealing with tricky club situations and his talent for getting his team to play a certain way quickly might be just what Cardiff needs.