Cardiff City

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Cardiff City will play South African champions Mamelodi Sundowns as part of their preparations for the new Championship season.

The Bluebirds will meet the Sundowns during their pre-season trip to Austria, with the game to be played at Waldstadion, Westendorf on Tuesday, 23 July.

The fixture completes Cardiff’s pre-season schedule.

Erol Bulut's side play two other games in Austria, against SV Hamburger on Sunday, 21 July and Hertha Berlin on Thursday, 25 July.

They face Kortrijk at Cardiff International Sports Campus this Saturday and Penybont on the same ground on Tuesday, 16 July.

After returning from Austria, Bulut's men host Reading on Wednesday, 31 July and then play their final pre-season match at Bristol Rovers on Saturday, 3 August.

They start the new season with a home game against Sunderland on Saturday, 10 August.

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Cardiff City manager Erol Bulut says he hopes to have "better communication" with new Wales head coach Craig Bellamy than he did with Robert Page.

Bellamy was announced as Page's successor on Tuesday, with the former Cardiff City forward taking the role on a four-year deal.

In March, Bulut complained that Page had not spoken with him before recalling Aaron Ramsey to the national team squad.

At that time, Bulut said: "I was expecting [communication] from the manager of Wales, but I haven't had any discussion with him about that.

"In the past he [Page] made some talks to the press which was in a different way.

"I would advise him to have better communication with us or at least the medical department, before the press."

It was a complaint which Page dismissed, saying: "I don't know what all the fuss is about to be honest."

Speaking after Cardiff's 1-0 pre-season defeat to Kidderminster Harriers, Bulut said: "I know him [Bellamy] as a great player at Newcastle.

"First of all, congratulations on the job and I hope that we have a better communication than what I had in the last year with Rob Page."

The Bluebirds continue their preseason against Belgian side KV Kortrijk on Saturday, another team owned by Vincent Tan.

BBC Wales football correspondent Rob Phillips watched Cardiff City's 1-0 friendly defeat to Kidderminster Harriers at the Cardiff International Sports Stadium.

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Midfielder Aaron Ramsey is among those rested for Wednesday's friendly against Kidderminster at Leckwith.

Ramsey, as well as defenders Perry Ng and Jamilu Colins, played in a behind closed doors friendly against Bath City last Saturday but will feature against Belgian side Kortrijk next Saturday.

USA goalkeeper Ethan Horvath has not yet returned from international duty at the Copa America.

Manilos Siopis and Callum O'Dowda were also involved in summer international action for Greece and Republic of Ireland respectively and are behind in training so will also not be involved against Kidderminser.

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Erol Bulut says striker Isaak Davies will be "very active" for Cardiff City next season after a successful loan spell at Belgian side Kortrijk.

And the Bluebirds boss wants Davies and other returning players to use this summer's friendly games to demonstrate the benefits of their time away from Cardiff City Stadium.

Wednesday's pre-season opener against Kidderminster Harriers will be Davies' first appearance for City in almost 12 months, after he joined Kortrijk on loan in August last year.

The 22-year-old was named player of the year at Kortrijk - the club owned by Cardiff owner Vincent Tan - having scored 12 goals in 34 appearances.

Wales Under-21 international Davies is under contract at Cardiff, the club where he came through the academy ranks, until the summer of 2025.

There has been speculation about transfer interest in the forward following his impressive stint in Belgium, but Bulut says Davies will be given the chance to establish himself in Cardiff's first team.

"Those players who went out on loan can show themselves in the friendly matches," Bulut told the club website.

"Some will continue with us, or some will maybe again go for a loan.

"Isaak Davies did a great job in Kortrijk, scoring 13, 14 goals, and this season he will be very active for us, for Cardiff City.

"I hope he shows good performances in the friendly matches and also in the league matches.

“Where we had issues, he fixed it in Kortrijk, and now he can finalise [his] goals for Cardiff City."

Following the game against Kidderminster, which will be played at the Cardiff International Sports Campus, City have friendlies against Kortrijk on 13 July and Penybont on 16 July.

The Bluebirds will then embark on a trip to Austria, from 19-26 July, before returning to face Reading at Cardiff City Stadium on 31 July and Bristol Rovers at the League One side's Memorial Stadium on 3 August.

They open their Championship campaign at home to Sunderland a week later.

"It’s a tough start. But we also had a tough start last season against Leeds," Bulut said.

"I’m optimistic that with good work in pre-season, we will be ready, at home in front of our fans, [with a] full stadium to deliver a good performance and [hopefully] start with a positive three points."

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Former Cardiff winger Jaden Philogene is set to join Everton after the Premier League club reached an agreement with Hull to sign him for a reported £16m.

Everton had expressed an interest in signing Philogene last month, and the 22-year-old is believed to be keen on a move to Goodison Park.

Ipswich and, according to Hull owner Acun Illicati, La Liga giants Barcelona were also interested in signing the in-demand Englishman, who scored 12 goals in 33 games for the Tigers last season.

Signed by former boss Steve Morison, Philogene spent the 2022-23 campaign at Cardiff on a season-long loan from Aston Villa before joining Hull last summer.

He now looks set for a proper go at Premier League football, having made just two substitute appearances in the top flight during his time with Villa.

Philogene would become Everton's fourth signing of the summer after Tim Iroegbunam, Jack Harrison and Iliman Ndiaye.

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Cardiff City Women have appointed Hannah Power as their captain for the new season.

Emma Beynon and Megan Bowen have been named vice-captains.

Power, who is in her second spell with Cardiff, has played for much of her time there alongside previous skipper Siobhan Walsh, who retired during the summer.

The centre-back was an important figure in the club’s treble-winning 2023-24 campaign, in which they claimed the Adran Premier title, the Adran Trophy and the Bute Energy Welsh Cup.

Power said: "It's such an honour. I'm really proud to be the captain of this team. I'm looking forward to helping the team in any way I can, both on and off the pitch.

"I learned a lot from playing with Siobhan. She was such a great captain for us. I'm hoping that I can take what I have learned from her into this role.”

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Cardiff City have added four new recruits to their under-21 squad.

Goalkeeper Ewan Griffiths has joined after a trial spell at the end of last season, while American box-to-box midfielder Adeteye Gbadehan signed for Port Vale last season only for the move to fall through due to an issue with his registration.

Attacking midfielder or striker Michael Reindhorf, 19, arrives in Wales having previously been at Norwich City, while 20-year-old forward Luke Pearce (above) joins after being released by Southampton.

"The players that we have signed will help the ones that we currently have in the building and we'll have real competition for places, which will be really healthy for us going forward," said Cardiff Under-21 boss Darren Purse.

"The opportunity is there for the players that have gone up to the first team and now we've got the next ones coming through at under-21 level.

"We've added a bit of experience on to that with the additions that we have made."

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Defender Luey Giles is among a dozen youngsters who have signed first professionals contracts at Cardiff City.

Giles, 17, made two substitute appearances for the Bluebirds last season, claiming the assist for Cian Ashford's late winner against Southampton.

The left-back, who joined Cardiff at under-9 level, told the club website: "I am very happy to be at such a great club and continue my stay here.

"Playing for the first team at the end of last season was surreal. It's what I dreamed of and to do it in front of my family and all the fans, I was very happy with that."

Midfielder Dakarai Mafico, who was on the bench for Cardiff's final game of last season at Rotherham, has also penned a new deal.

Left-back Josh Beecher is another who has signed, having made his senior debut as a substitute in the Carabao Cup defeat at Blackburn Rovers last September.

The others who have made the step to the professional ranks are midfielders Cody Twose, Troy George and Troy Perrett, goalkeepers Joe Thomas and Luke Armstrong, Wales Under-17 player Ronan Kpakio, winger Cole Fleming, striker Tanatswa Nyakuhwa and defender Will Spiers.

All the players will link up with Darren Purse's under-21 squad at the start of 2024-25.

"Some of them have been at the club since a young age. With the hours they and their families have had to put in, it's an immensely important day for the player and their families but also the club as a whole," Purse said.

"The number of scholars we are taking on this year is testament to the work that has been done throughout the whole academy. It gives us a great base to progress those boys into the first team."

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Cardiff City’s early-season south Wales derby meeting with Swansea City has been put back 24 hours after being selected for live TV coverage.

Erol Bulut's side had been due to travel to Swansea on Saturday, 24 August, but the fixture will now be played on Sunday, 25 August, with a 15:00 BST kick-off.

The Bluebirds’ home game with Middlesbrough on Saturday, 31 August has also been chosen for Sky Sports coverage and will now kick-off at 12:30 BST.

Cardiff begin the new Championship campaign with a home game against Sunderland on Saturday, 10 August.

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Cardiff City will take on Hamburger SV in a pre-season friendly in Bramberg, Austria on Sunday, 21 July (15:00 BST).

It will be the Bluebirds’ first reunion with Hamburger since their famous European Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final meeting in 1967-68, when the Germans triumphed 4-3 on aggregate.

Hamburger, where striker Robert Glatzel has been playing for the last three years after joining from Cardiff, finished second in the German second tier last season.

Cardiff being their pre-season campaign against Kidderminster Harriers on 10 July, then face KV Kortrijk (13 July) and Penybont (16 July) in the Welsh capital before the Hamburger match.

They will host Reading at the Cardiff City Stadium on 31 July before making the short trip to Bristol Rovers on 3 August.

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Defender Oliver Denham has joined Irish side Sligo Wanderers from Cardiff City on a permanent basis, subject to international clearance.

The centre back has signed an 18 month deal with the League of Ireland Premier side following a six month loan spell at the end of last season.

The former Manchester United youth player made seven appearances for the Bluebirds and also had a loan spell at Scottish side Dundee United.

In 2022, he was called up to the Wales senior squad.

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Wales' failure to reach Euro 2024 means that Cardiff City have at least had midfielder Aaron Ramsey report back for the start of pre-season training.

The Wales captain was among those who officially returned to duty at Hensol as summer preparations began.

But while Ramsey and Red Wall fans would no doubt prefer to have been at the Euros instead, a former Ninian Park teammate of the midfielder is still in the thick of things in Germany.

Indeed, many Cardiff fans may have done a double-take when they saw former striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink emerge from the England bench to celebrate as the Three Lions edged past Slovakia in their last-16 match on Sunday night.

Ex-Chelsea striker Hasselbaink has, in fact, been part of Gareth Southgate's backroom staff since last March, the pair having known each other since their days at Middlesbrough together.

Yet the former Dutch international was in the Bluebirds' corner - and in their side - when a breakthrough performance from a 17-year-old Ramsey inspired Cardiff to an FA Cup quarter-final win at the Riverside in 2008 on their way to that year's final.

Hasselbaink scored a memorable goals against Wolves in the previous round that season, starting the final defeat to Portsmouth. In all, he made 44 appearances and scored nine goals in his solitary season in south Wales.

He is not the only former Cardiff player in Southgate's coaching team. Former Bluebirds keeper Martyn Margetson - who was goalkeeper coach during Hasselbaink's time at the club - racked up his 100th game as England's goalkeeping coach in the extra-time win in Gelsenkirchen.

Margetson, who made 32 appearances for Cardiff between 2002 and 2007, is currently in his second spell as part of Swansea's coaching staff.