Malky Mackay, the first team squad and members of the coaching staff are currently over in Dubai having a well deserved five day training “holiday”, but that didn’t stop the club announcing the much anticipated signing of Fraizer Campbell from Sunderland for a fee in the region of £650,000 yesterday. Campbell who, surely, only came so cheaply because he had just six months of his contract left, has signed a three and a half year deal with City and will wear squad number 27, but if we didn’t pay that much for him in terms of his transfer fee, the same is, almost certainly, not true about his wages.
Campbell’s career may have stalled somewhat following his various knee injuries, but the fact of the matter is that he was playing for England eleven months ago and it is very unusual, in fact it’s probably unheard of, for someone in such a position to drop down to the Championship (especially when they are in their mid 20’s). Therefore, I would say Campbell had been bought, and been tempted to come here, because of a strong belief on both sides of the deal that Cardiff City will be in the Premiership next year – his signing almost certainly makes that eventuality more likely, but I wouldn’t say it’s a certainty yet by any means.
New signing Fraizer Campbell in action for Hull against us in March 2008 at Ninian Park (have you still got your stub?).
Although I have an unwritten rule that I don’t judge a new signing until I’ve seen him play a few times for us, I, almost always, have a gut feeling as to whether he is will be a good or bad acquisition for us. However, in this instance I genuinely don’t know what to make of our latest signing. Certainly, if Campbell is still anything like the player who did so much to get Hull promoted five years ago then we have bought well (and, on that score, it’s encouraging that his former manager at Sunderland Steve Bruce wanted him back at that club). However, there is little or nothing in Campbell’s career over the past two or three years to suggest he will be able to score as frequently as he once did.
So, will that be the full extent of our transfer dealings this month? I doubt it very much actually. I’m sure there’ll be two or three going out either permanently or on loan and I think we may be in for one or two more newcomers in the next ten days or in the loan window next month. I reckon we could see another striker and a defender – as to who they’ll be, I see Simon Lappin, who we had on loan from Norwich recently was released by them yesterday, but I would expect someone who would be more likely to be in the starting line up than him with the same being said for any target man type striker we bring in. I’m probably miles out and I’ll no doubt get taught a lesson about indulging in such speculation on here again, but I wouldn’t be too surprised if John Brayford and Cameron Jerome (on loan) were City players by the time we next play at home.
