Expectations are increasing in South Wales as the 2016/17 Championship season draws closer and a tough task awaits new Cardiff City head coach Paul Trollope who will be the man to lead Bluebirds into the new campaign.

The club fell at the final hurdle last season as they just missed out on the play-offs with just a couple of matches of the league season remaining. So this season the fans will be hoping the club can go one better and finish in the top six.

Trollope confirmed the appointment of former Cardiff manager Lennie Lawrence as his assistant manager and that piece of business is set to be followed by a number of new additions to the playing squad as the Welshman looks to stamp his mark on the squad after Russell Slade's underwhelming period in charge at the club.

Attacking midfielder Lex Immers has been Trollope's solitary addition to the playing squad thus far and there have also been rumours linking players including David Marshall, Bruno Ecuele Manga, and Craig Noone with moves away from the club.

Here, Football League World writer Steve Day looks at three Premier League players that Trollope should sign to make the Bluebirds a force in the Championship this season.

Juan Carlos Paredes

The first area that Trollope must address on the pitch is defence. It has been an unsettled area for the Bluebirds for a couple of seasons now with the full back and centre back positions rarely being occupied by the same players for weeks in a row. A solid back four was a large contributing factor to their title-winning success back in 2013.

Paredes is an experienced Ecuadorian international full back who was signed by Watford in the summer of 2014 from Spanish club Granada. He was a key player in their Championship promotion success but found first team starts limited last season under Quique Sanchez Flores.

There remains uncertainty of the future of Paredes with new head coach Walter Mazzarri yet to make a decision on the player's future. He has earned 63 caps for his country and his experience at Championship level would be priceless for a side that needs added stability at the back with a couple of defensive names being touted as potential departures from the Cardiff City Stadium.

Bertrand Traore

This would be a bold move by Trollope but there is one thing that is certain and that is that Cardiff need a striker desperately. They only have Federico Macheda, Eoin Doyle, Idriss Saadi, and Adam Le Fondre on their books and three of those players in Macheda, Doyle, and Le Fondre have stated their futures lie elsewhere.

Traore is a highly-rated 19-year-old for Chelsea who has already earned 11 caps and scored 1 goal for his native Burkina Faso. He spent the 2014/15 season on loan with Eredivisie side Vitesse Arhem where he scored 20 goals in 51 games. He scored 4 goals in 16 matches for Chelsea last season but with Antonio Conte set to come in to Stamford Bridge after Euro 2016 he might find himself playing even less next season.

A move to Cardiff would be ideal for Traore. Their 4-2-3-1 formation that they are likely to play under Trollope would suit his style of play with quick wingers either side and an attacking midfielder in Immers behind him. It would also be a fantastic level to put himself in the shop window for a permanent deal to a club next summer.

Harry Wilson

Trollope has stated that he wants to add more of a Welsh flavour to the Cardiff squad ahead of this season having listened to fans' comments that the lack of Welsh players in the side led to the supporters feeling detached from their club. This has led to a number of Welsh players such as David Cotterill and Tom Bradshaw being linked with moves to the Welsh capital.

Wilson is the youngest ever capped Welsh international at just 16-years and 207 days. He is also a huge youth prospect at Liverpool with the ability to play on both wings. This versatility and creative ingenuity is exactly what the Bluebirds need this season.

The lack of creativity in midfield was blamed for their lack of goals last season. Anthony Pilkington is the only certainty to be playing at Cardiff next season with Noone being targeted by other clubs and Kadeem Harris failing to break into the first team over recent years. Wilson would benefit from a loan move to Cardiff where he could grow as a player and gain first team experience at a decent level.

Do you agree with the choices above? Are there any other players you would recommend Trollope to sign from the Premier League? Let us know your views in the comments section below.