This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Cardiff City are close to completing a deal to bring Luton Town striker James Collins to South Wales, as first reported by the Northern Echo.

The 30-year-old was also linked with Middlesbrough but it appears that a switch from the Hatters to the Bluebirds is in the pipeline, with Football Insider reporting that Collins is undergoing a medical with the Welsh club.

Luton were powerless to lose Collins, who has netted double figures in all four seasons he's spent at the club, as his contract is set to expire next month.

With Cardiff already having a prolific striker in Kieffer Moore though, is it the right move for Collins? The FLW team have had their say...

Toby Wilding

At this moment in time, I don't think Collins would be a regular starter for Cardiff.

When you consider the form that Kieffer Moore has been in this season, scoring 20 goals in his 42 appearances, it is hard to see anyone else leading the line for the Bluebirds at the start of next season, if they keep him beyond the summer transfer window.

However, I do still think that Collins would have a significant part to play for Cardiff while at the club, given Mick McCarthy has spoken of the fatigue that Moore has had to cope with due to the lack of cover for him at centre forward.

That is something Cardiff will want to avoid next season, meaning you would expect Collins will get game time in order to help give Moore a rest at times, and given his proven ability to get goals at Championship level, that is a role that he should be more than capable of filling during his time in the Welsh capital.

 

 

 

 

Chris Gallagher

Not at all, but that's the way it should be at all clubs!

If McCarthy continues with one central striker to lead the attack and Kieffer Moore remains at the club, then Collins may spend most games on the bench, certainly from the start. However, there are doubts over whether the big man will stay.

Either way though, he will be second choice for the Bluebirds as it stands, and over a gruelling 46-game season, he will get a lot of minutes because it's a squad game nowadays. Injuries and suspension comes into play whilst McCarthy may try a different formation to fit two strikers in, as he has done regularly at his former clubs.

Collins will get minutes on the pitch and then it's down to him. Even if that's from the bench, he needs to show McCarthy that he deserves to play by scoring goals and giving his all when he features.

Jacob Potter

I'm really not sure about this one, to be honest.

Collins has shown that he can score goals at this level, and he has impressed me in adjusting to the step up in the Championship with Luton Town.

However, I'm not convinced that he'd be a regular starter in the Cardiff City team anytime soon, especially if Kieffer Moore is still with Mick McCarthy's side next season.

Moore is an established Championship forward, and would be a far better option to have in attack for the Bluebirds next season, as they look to challenge for promotion into the Premier League next term.

It would be a strange move if Collins was heading there expecting to feature on a regular basis, as I could only see him featuring as a substitute for the majority of his time at the Cardiff City Stadium.