Sol Bamba has rejuvenated his career at Cardiff City.
Cardiff’s Sol Bamba scores their second goal
Sol Bamba entered the 2016/17 season as Leeds United’s club captain, but began September being released by the club.
The Ivory Coast veteran was not in Garry Monk’s plans and the manager felt it was in the player’s best interests to move on, and he has re-established himself at Cardiff City.
Bamba has managed more tackles and more interceptions than any Leeds centre-back, including popular star Pontus Jansson.
| Team | Interceptions per game | Won Tackles per game | Appearances | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sol Bamba | Cardiff | 3.52 | 1.85 | 27 |
| Pontus Jansson | Leeds | 1.75 | 1.07 | 28 |
| Kyle Bartley | Leeds | 1.55 | 0.76 | 38 |
| Liam Cooper | Leeds | 1.45 | 0.82 | 11 |
The glitch on Bamba’s season was his crazy red card against Ipswich in December, but that aside he has impressed for Neil Warnock’s Cardiff, helping them to a win against Leeds at Elland Road earlier in 2017.
When Leeds released Bamba, it seemed like a fair decision considering he had fallen out of favour, but was it really the right one?
Sol Bamba of Leeds United with Jake Bidwell of Brentford
Monk’s first choice partnership of Kyle Bartley and Pontus Jansson have been key to Leeds’ success. Liam Cooper has been less consistent when called upon.
Bamba could have been a better option to retain than Cooper, even if Monk felt it was better for squad harmony that he did not keep an impatient veteran on the sidelines.
With the uncertainty around Pontus Jansson’s fitness and squad status after missing the last two matches, Leeds lack of strength in depth at the position is just one more injury away from being really stretched.
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