Opportunities like this do not come around all too often.
At the age of 29, and having plied his trade for ten different clubs during a nomadic career spent trudging through the mud and nettles of England’s lower tiers, the promised land of the Premier League finally presented itself to Kieffer Moore during this summer’s transfer window.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were in the market for a new number nine capable of providing competition for Raul Jimenez, following the Mexican’s return after nearly 12 months on the sidelines.
And Moore’s stock, after netting a career-best 20 goals for Cardiff City in 2020/21, had never been higher.
“Look, let’s be clear about it, if Kieffer gets a chance to play in the Premier League, he will want to do it,” his-then Cardiff manager Mick McCarthy said back in August, when reports emerged linking the late-blooming Wales international with a £7 million move to Molineux.
“If he doesn’t (want to play in the top-flight), there will be something wrong. If he didn’t, I wouldn’t want that type of player. You always want to be the best version of yourself you can be.
“If (the move to Wolves) happens, I would be absolutely devastated for me, the fans and the club. But I’d be delighted for him.”
Will Kieffer Moore be wishing he had joined Wolves now?
A lot can change in two months.
Back in August, a Cardiff side embarking on a new campaign under the wily, uber-experienced McCarthy were front and centre among the early-season favourites for a play-off berth, particularly with Moore in the form of his life in attack.
Flash forward to the last week of October and Cardiff are 21st in the table, McCarthy is out of a job after eight defeats in a row and Moore looks further away than ever from the Premier League, his top-flight dreams a fading dot on the misty horizon.
He has netted just one goal in 16 games this season – and none since August.
That’s not all Moore’s fault of course – he is an old-school, penalty-box target man who relies on the sort of service his Cardiff teammates just haven’t provided. But it is difficult to make a case for a club like Wolves submitting a January bid for a striker who has gone 12 games without a goal in England’s second tier.
According to the Sun (17 October, page 59), Moore has changed his agent in an apparent attempt to drum up further interest heading into the January window.
A last throw of the dice, perhaps, for a man who appears to have seen a once-in-a-career opportunity slip through his fingers.
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