Why Cardiff City must go all out to sign Leeds United’s Ronaldo Vieira

According to a report by The Sun ( printed edition – 15/07/18, pg 59), Cardiff City are interested in signing Ronaldo Vieira from Leeds United this summer.

The opportunity to move to the Premier League will certainly seem quite enticing for the England U21 midfielder. Leeds have been through a series of ups and downs in recent times but with Marcelo Bielsa at the helm, they could be in for a reversal of fortunes.

However, life in the Championship can be immensely unpredictable and the youngster should grasp this chance with both hands.

Cardiff City enjoyed a sensational campaign in the second-tier competition last season. Neil Warnock’s men put up a tough fight to finish 2nd behind league leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers, thus securing an automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Now, the club must prioritize retaining their top-flight status and to do so, they are in dire need of reinforcements. To that end, a move for Vieira definitely seems like a step in the right direction.

Since the ongoing transfer window commenced, Cardiff have made some important additions to their squad. The Bluebirds have wrapped up deals for Greg Cunningham, Josh Murphy, Bobby Reid and Alex Smithies. But signing Vieira might just be their best deal of the summer so far.

The talented 19-year-old enjoyed a breakthrough season with Leeds once Lewis Cook exited the club to join Bournemouth. And from there on, the Guinea-Bissau-born midfielder has only gone from strength-to-strength at Elland Road.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Vieira appeared 32 times across competitions for Leeds last season. He chipped in with a solitary goal and 2 assists while recording a decent pass success rate of 79.2%.

As far as his defensive work is concerned, the player averaged 2.1 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per game. In addition to that, Vieira also won an average of 1.6 aerial duels. These numbers speak volumes of his abilities and potential, making it necessary for Cardiff to pursue a deal for him.

Considering his skills and level of experience, Vieira would go a long way in adding depth to Cardiff’s midfield department. With the likes of Joe Ralls, Callum Paterson and Aron Gunnarsson in the mix, Vieira should fit right in.

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The promising midfielder must be convinced to move away from Leeds and join Warnock and his men as they get set to make a name for themselves in the Premier League next season.