Cardiff City are looking to head back to the top flight after coming close in the play-offs last year, and Mick McCarthy may be the man to get them there.

The Bluebirds had two separate stints in the Premier League in the last eight years, but they want to establish themselves with the big boys and they've certainly undergone a short-term transformation since McCarthy came through the door.

He wasn't given a lot to work with when he came in in January, but McCarthy has somehow got the team firing and whilst they may not end up making the play-offs again this season, there's a platform to build on for 2021/22.

City have made some big purchases in recent times, most notably during their brief Premier League stints, but it hasn't stopped them from splashing cash in the Championship either.

Let's take a look at the Bluebirds' 10 record purchases* - which all came since 2013 - and see what they are up to now.

*We have made the decision to leave Emiliano Sala out of this list.

A man who is still at the Cardiff City Stadium, Smithies made the move from QPR in 2018 for a £4 million fee.

Smithies had lots of experience for Huddersfield and the R's, but it would be his first taste of Premier League football upon arriving - or so he thought.

The stopper never got a minute of action in the top flight, but ended up playing 30 times in the Championship the following season, and became the undisputed number-one at the Bluebirds having initially battled for the shirt with Neil Etheridge.

He now though faces a battle with Dillon Phillips for the jersey, who has impressed since arriving from Charlton in 2020.

There are a few players on this list that are still contracted to the Bluebirds, and Flint is one of them.

The centre-back arrived from Middlesbrough in 2019 for a £4 million fee, and played 26 times in the Championship last season under Neil Warnock and Neil Harris.

He was never a regular under Harris though, who preferred the pairing of Sean Morrison and Curtis Nelson, and earlier this season he was shipped off on loan to divisional rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

That didn't last long after he tore his hamstring, but since returning to the Bluebirds Flint has undergone somewhat of a renaissance with McCarthy as manager, starting every game in his tenure and he scored the winning goal in the South Wales Derby against Swansea City.

Another summer 2019 purchase in what was an expensive transfer window for the Bluebirds, Glatzel arrived from German second tier side Heidenheim for £5.5 million after scoring 13 goals in 26 league outings for them the previous season.

What Cardiff fans found out quickly though was that the striker was very similar to Kieffer Moore - and not quite as good either.

Glatzel ended the season with seven goals and after mainly featuring off the bench this season for Cardiff, he returned to Germany in January when he joined Mainz on loan, and that could end up becoming permanent in the summer.

Ecuele Manga was a big-money purchase for the Bluebirds following their first relegation from the Premier League in 2014, joining for around £5.75 million from Lorient in France.

He was part of a side that was expected to make the jump back up at the first attempt, but he had to wait a few years until that became a reality, and he was a regular when he was fit.

Manga played in all 38 games during the 2018-19 Premier League season, but after that he returned to France, signing for Dijon for a fee of £1.8 million, where he is still and is now captain.

Cardiff fans still probably can't believe that they spent £6 million on Madine at the time, and it proved to be a massive bust.

Madine had scored 10 goals in 28 games for Bolton in the 2017-18 season before Cardiff snapped him up mid-season, but in his two years in the Welsh capital he failed to score a goal and played just 26 league games, and during the Premier League campaign in 2018/19 he was loaned to Sheffield United.

His contract was cancelled by mutual consent in January 2020, and he headed to Blackpool in League One where he has scored eight goals in 25 outings this season.

Another expensive striker who proved to be a bit of a failure, Cornelius was acquired back in 2013 from FK Kobenhavn for a fee of £8 million, having netted 18 times in 32 appearances in the Danish Superliga.

It was always going to be a gamble but it was worth it at the time for a promising 20-year-old, but after signing a five-year contract at the club, Cornelius only lasted six months as he departed back to Kobenhavn in the January transfer window.

Now 27 years old, Cornelius scored goals on his return to his native land and it earned him a move to Serie A side Atalanta, before then joining Bordeaux in France and he now plies his trade with Parma in Italy, where he has scored just once in 19 Serie A outings.

Caulker was one of two big buys for Cardiff's inaugural Premier League campaign in 2013, joining from Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £8.25 million.

A one-cap England international from his time at Spurs, Caulker was expected to help shore up the Bluebirds defence in preparation to face the big guns of the top flight.

He made a big impact by scoring his first goal for the club against rivals Swansea City - who he starred for on loan the year before - but he was unable to prevent Cardiff from immediate relegation, despite scoring five goals and playing every single minute of the league campaign.

Caulker was always destined to remain in the Premier League and he moved on to QPR following that relegation, and after brief loans at Southampton and Liverpool he ended up being a free agent for a year between 2017 and 2018, eventually joining Dundee.

Caulker currently plays for Alanyaspor in Turkey at the age of 29 - it's not where you'd expect him to be given the potential he had.

Reid was a real punt when Cardiff joined up with the Premier League in 2018 again, and there was much speculation as to whether he could cope with the step up in class having signed for £10 million from Bristol City.

He was a bright light for Cardiff in a disappointing season which ended in relegation back to the Championship, scoring five times for the club but the following season he was loaned out to Fulham - a move which was eventually turned permanent.

It was a surprise to see him depart, especially to a divisional rival, but Neil Warnock could not guarantee him game-time, and it proved to be the best move for Reid as he assisted Fulham into the Premier League and he's a regular starter now for the Cottagers.

Arriving at the same time as Reid was Murphy, who was an £11 million purchase from Norwich City.

It was a big punt for the club once again who were relying on British-born Championship talent to try and keep them in the top flight, but it didn't work out despite Murphy playing 29 times.

Murphy has never really been a regular starter since joining in 2018 - he's spent time in and out of the team and this season he's netted just twice in 25 games, but as a natural winger he doesn't really fit into Mick Carthy's 3-5-2 system, but he does fill in up-front when called upon.

A record signing at the time in 2013, Medel arrived with pedigree in both top international competitions for Chile and European football for Sevilla, joining Cardiff for around £11.75 million.

Medel was quite clearly a classy operator but there's only so much you can do on your own, and he played 34 times in the Premier League as the club were relegated straight  back into the Championship.

After his impressive performances for Chile in the World Cup, Medel was never going to stick around and Inter Milan subsequently purchased him for £10 million - he is now playing at Serie A side Bologna as a 33-year-old but has been troubled by injury this season.