The 25-year-old left his boyhood club Everton this summer after rejecting a new contract and has been training under fellow Liverpudlian Joey Barton at Bristol Rovers.
It is understood that Davies was a name which had been spoken about at Cardiff, but it now seems his future lies elsewhere rather than in the Welsh capital.
Erol Bulut is keen to add a midfielder to his ranks, but it has been stressed to us that Davies is not his primary target. The Turkish manager wants to add another two or three players before the end of the window.
He said he expected at least one more signing through the door before tomorrow night’s Carabao Cup clash with Colchester United, however that now appears increasingly unlikely
READ MORE: The much-changed team Cardiff City could field against Colchester United with futures up in the air
Shirt sales soar
Cardiff City’s shirt sales have soared through the roof in recent weeks.
In the last three weeks alone — or to put it a different way, since the signing of Aaron Ramsey — the Bluebirds have sold a whopping 2,000 replica jerseys.
Given full-size shirts are £55 and youth jerseys are £45, that is not insignificant money. One suspects the first home games of the season, against Colchester United in the Carabao Cup tomorrow and QPR in the Championship on Saturday, will see those numbers bumped further.
In related news, Cardiff are indeed launching a third kit. It sounds like they plan to do so at the end of the month.#
Bulut says he will blood youngsters against Colchester
Erol Bulut will play a mix of young and experienced players in tomorrow night’s game against Colchester United.
Speaking about Colchester, he said: “It’s their first official game of the season, because their league game was postponed, so I think they will play with their main team, their main XI.
“For us, some players didn’t play [on Sunday] and were on the bench, so we will use them, but have a mix in our eleven. Of course, we want to win and continue in the Cup.
“Some youngsters, they will be in the squad and some in the first XI. How they played in pre-season matches, I was satisfied with some of them, so we will see them on Wednesday.
“I think, for them, it will be a good game. They will take it seriously, like us. We will try to go to round two with our young guys and a mix.
“Of course, Colchester will want to show themselves against a Championship team. It will not be easy, but even with our young players, we want to get into the next round.
“For our young guys, it’s a chance to show themselves in the game.
“For us, the most important is the Championship, of course, but in the Cup, we want to continue to go as far as we can go. It’s always good to have a win and we’re looking forward to it.
“This will be perfect for us, two games at home in-a-row. With the fans behind us, they supported us great in Leeds, so on Wednesday, they will also support the team. On Saturday, the house will be full and hopefully, we can make them happy after the game.”
City Women sign semi-pro deals
Cardiff City Women players have signed semi-professional contracts.
The Bluebirds are the current Adran Premier champions, having been invincible in the 2022/23 league season, and won the FAW Women’s Cup for a second consecutive year.
Iain Darbyshire’s side will compete in this year’s UEFA Women’s Champions League next month, travelling to face Lithuanian champions FC Gintra.
Speaking about the contracts, head coach Darbyshire said: “We are hugely pleased to be in a position, as a club, to offer semi-professional contracts to our full senior squad. This is a massive milestone not only for us, but also for the Women’s game in Wales.
“After such a successful season last year, our players deserve to be rewarded for their hard work and commitment to the Club and have certainly earned their contracts. The growth in the Women’s game has seen us move to training three times a week, playing in front of larger crowds and an increase in commercial revenue.
“I would personally like to thank our operational staff and the Board of Directors for their support in delivering these contracts, and a special thank you to Capital Law who have guided us on this process.
“With our UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign next month, our focus now turns to ensuring that we represent Wales with pride, as well as preparing for the upcoming 2023/24 Adran Premier campaign.”
Cardiff City Women squad: Ceryn Chamberlain, Amelia Forkings, Lisa Owen, Mikayla Cook, Megan Bowen, Hannah Power, Siobhan Walsh, Danielle Green, Hollie Smith, Ffion Price, Seren Watkins, Kelly Adams, Emma Beynon, Tija Richardson, Danielle Broadhurst, Molly Kehoe, Eliza Collie, Mackenzie Olden, Rhianne Oakley, Zoe Atkins, Catherine Walsh.
TV viewing figures for Leeds game
Cardiff’s opening game of the season was watched by a peak audience of nearly a million viewers on Sunday.
The Leeds United game is the highest-watched EFL match, excluding play-offs, on Sky Sports since 2017.
A statement by the EFL said: “The fixture between Leeds United and Cardiff City was also the most watched Championship fixture on Sky Sports, excluding Play-Offs, since 2017, with a peak audience of nearly a million viewers.”
Another South Wales derby
Cardiff City Under-21s have been away to Swansea City in the third round of the Nathaniel MG Cup.
The Bluebirds progressed to the third round after Cian Ashford scored four goals to sail past Haverfordwest County on Sunday afternoon. The Swans claimed a 3-1 victory over JD Cymru South outfit Caerau Ely on Saturday.
The third-round draw is still regionalised – with four ties in the Northern section and four in the Southern section. All matches will be played on the dates of September 19 and 20, just days after the first senior South Wales derby of the season on September 16.
Ugbo makes Team of the Week
Ike Ugbo has been named in the official Championship Team of the Week.
The Bluebirds striker had a debut to remember for his new club, scoring one and assisting one in the 2-2 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road.
Ugbo had a mixed pre-season, with some glimpses of positivity and some quiet games, but, particularly being a striker, contributing to two goals will do him a world of good.
Ugbo was the highest-rated Bluebirds player on WhoScored, who power the official Championship Team of the Week, with a score of 7.71 out of 10.
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