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 in talks to sign Crewe Alexandra midfielder Ryan Wintle on a free transfer, according to Football Insider.
Wintle looks set to leave Crewe after making 186 appearances for the club since joining from Alsager Town in 2015.
The midfielder stood out in his 43 appearances in League One last season, but now looks set to depart on a free transfer with his deal set to run out.
Football Insider claim that Cardiff are now in advanced talks to sign the midfielder, and are closing in on an agreement for the 24-year-old.
Wintle would become the second player to join from Crewe in the last year, with Perry Ng arriving in South Wales last season.
Here, we discuss this potential addition...
Jacob Potter
This could be a steady addition to the Cardiff City team.
Wintle has impressed me whilst with Crewe, and he could be worth a punt for a team in the Championship.
At the age of 24, he's still got plenty of room to show improvement in future years, and Cardiff will be hoping that he can hit the ground running with them if he signs this summer.
He's not known for his goals and assists, and his defensive side of the game is a strong point of his.
Competition for places is never a bad dilemma to have for a manager, and Wintle would certainly provide them with that in midfield.
I'm not sure he'd be a regular starter for the Bluebirds though, and it would be interesting to see where he'd fit into Mick McCarthy's plans heading into the new season.
Chris Thorpe
Cardiff are quite clearly working their existing relationship with Crewe to their advantage with this one.
Wintle has been a consistent performer for the Alex at lower league level for quite some time now and I would say he is ready to make the step up.
At 24 he is just coming into his prime and he will add a real engine to the Bluebirds midfield.
He can also add the bonus of goals and has shown in the past that he is willing to take on shots from distance.
With a varied passing range to boot, this signing ticks a lot of boxes for Mick McCarthy and co and it’s no surprise to have seen him snapped up.
Ned Holmes
This could be a smart bit of business for Cardiff.
He's not been hugely disappointing but Marlon Pack hasn't had the impact you feel the Bluebirds were hoping he would.
With that in mind, signing more quality in defensive midfield would make a lot of sense and Wintle has impressed for Crewe.
He's available on a free transfer, which is obviously a positive in the current circumstances, and at 24, his peak is still yet to come.
It's hard to find many issues with this move.