Cardiff City Swoop For Motherwell's Quinn

The whopping 5 million pound cheque Cardiff City received from Birmingham for the services of Roger Johnson will barely have had time to clear before Dave Jones moves to reinforce his severely depleted back line. It is understood that on Monday Cardiff City will discuss terms with Motherwell's captain Paul Quinn, and initial reports suggest that the highly-rated 23-year old would be keen on a move to South wales despite strong interest from other clubs, most notably Hearts and European contenders Locomotive Moscow.


The move has been touted for some time, and it seems that Cardiff are finally in a position to do business. Their bid of around 300,000 pounds was almost certain to be accepted, and far exceeds the reported 100,000 offered by Hearts. It will then be up to Quinn and the Cardiff City hierarchy to resolve personal terms.


The quick and versatile Quinn, who normally plays at right back but is equally adept at centre back, will be a welcome addition to the Cardiff squad. He has spent his entire career to date at Motherwell, first breaking into the side in the 2002 / 03 season and going on to rack up over 160 appearances in all competition. He has been club captain for the past 18-months, a position he took over from Phil O'Donnell, and his presence would bring some much-needed leadership back to the Cardiff side.


If, as expected, he slots in at right-back, his arrival could pave the way for his compatriot Kevin McNaughton to return to his favoured left-back position, where he will fight it out with Mark Kennedy for the shirt. Youngster Adam Matthews is also ready to make the step up and will reportedly be given more first-team opportunities this season, putting added pressure on both full-back berths. All this could mean that both Tony Capaldi, whose season was wrecked by injury, and Miguel Comminges, who was never able to nail down a starting place, could find themselves surplus to requirements.


Nothing can fill the gaping Roger Johnson-shaped hole currently residing in our defence, but landing Paul Quinn would certainly be a step in the right direction...

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