Cardiff City had relative success in the Championship last season, with Mick McCarthy offering hope of a brighter future by leading the club to eighth by the end of the campaign. 

Yet, the Bluebirds were short of crashing into the play-offs, which leaves them facing up to another year in the Championship and a summer of key recruitment decisions.

There's no hanging around from McCarthy either, with James Collins already recruited for the new season after scoring an impressive 24 goals in two Championship seasons for Luton Town, as well as playing a key role in the club rising through the EFL and into the second-tier.

So, what about those that may not be part of the Cardiff squad moving forwards into 2021/22?

We take a look at a couple here:

Kieffer Moore 

Granted, this isn't one that Cardiff fans are going to want to see materialise, with Moore spearheading the club's attack really successfully last season in the Championship.

The 28-year-old struck 20 goals for the Bluebirds, with only Ivan Toney, Adam Armstrong and Teemu Pukki scoring more in the division.

Naturally, clubs in the Premier League will cast an eye over Moore and that leaves Cardiff vulnerable, no doubt.

Collins is already through the door to bolster Cardiff's attack, whilst consistent links to soon-to-be free agent, Martyn Waghorn, could potentially add another dimension to McCarthy's options.

However, are those dealings going on to cover any potential loss of Moore? There's nothing to suggest so just yet, but the summer is still young.

Harry Wilson 

Unsurprisingly, we might have seen the last of Wilson in a Cardiff shirt after an impressive loan spell with the Welsh outfit in 2020/21.

McCarthy has made no secret of the fact that the Liverpool ace should be playing in the Premier League next season after a stunning impact with the Bluebirds.

The 24-year-old scored seven goals for Cardiff last season, including a stunning hat-trick against Birmingham City. He also notched an impressive 11 assists from midfield, producing the most consistency of anyone at the club on the back of McCarthy's arrival as manager.

Of course, Cardiff would love to get their hands back on the playmaker, but McCarthy's comments and Wilson's performances suggest he's bound for another chance in the top-flight.

You can't really deny him that.