When Cardiff City announced the deadline day acquisition of Harry Wilson on a season-long loan from Premier League champions Liverpool, a surge of ecstasy and optimism rushed through South Wales.
It was not hard to see why, either.
Last term, Wilson had finished as Bournemouth’s joint-highest goalscorer with seven strikes to his name, only matched by fellow namesake Callum Wilson.
And before his exploits at the highest level, Wilson engraved a lasting impression in the second tier whilst on loan at Derby County, notching a hugely impressive eighteen goals across all competitions for the Rams.
Accompanying Wilson’s laudable rapport within English Football was a gleaming sense of recognition in the Welsh Capital prior to even making the switch.
Since becoming Wales’ youngest ever debutant at the age of sixteen all the way back in 2013, the Wrexham native had endeared himself to the nation’s faithful with a series of scintillating showings on the International front.
All pointed to an extremely successful spell at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Embed from Getty ImagesUnder the leadership of Neil Harris, Wilson showcased glimmers of what his footballing prowess had to offer; three goals and a further four assists prior to Harris’ sacking was far from a deplorable output.
But you had to feel there was much more to come from the 23-year old.
In hindsight, Wilson was rarely afforded the inventive license he needed in order to sparkle by his former boss. More often than not, the Welshman was shunted out wide in a 4-4-2, something that proved restrictive to his creativity and lacked the facilitation for a free role. Along with this, Harris tended to place an emphasis on tracking back for his wide men.
Ultimately, it did not suit him in the slightest.
So when Mick McCarthy made his way to the Cardiff City dugout, there was a desperate longing that the veteran would be able to utilise Wilson’s wizardly weaponry.
Despite being named amongst the substitutes and failing to get on the pitch during McCarthy’s opening encounter away to Barnsley, Wilson would soon flourish- much to the delight of the Bluebirds faithful.
Coming off the bench against Millwall in a 1-1 draw at the CCS, it only took Wilson nine minutes to register a crucial influence on proceedings, crafting a luxurious through ball to Kieffer Moore and recording an assist to rescue the Bluebirds.
Wilson would start the next match, a fierce Severnside Derby clash away to Bristol City. Again, Wilson was the provider as his perfection-laced delivery found the head of Curtis Nelson.
Relishing and revelling in the number 10 role just behind the two strikers, Wilson was a constant menace throughout the afternoon as he drew fouls, stretched the Robins’ backline and proved to be Cardiff’s key creative force.
The Liverpool academy product is, undoubtedly, one of the chief beneficiaries from McCarthy’s efficacious change in approach and style.
Operating as a 10 just behind two strikers, Wilson has truly blossomed. It allows him to get on the ball more, raise the tempo and drive forward at opposition defences and a goal along with three assists in his first five appearances under McCarthy thoroughly exemplifies the damage he can cause when utilised to his devastating best.
And in his last five appearances for the Bluebirds prior to McCarthy’s arrival, Wilson had failed to contribute a goal or an assist. Patently, it illustrates both the man-management skills and the knowledge of how to fully optimise Wilson’s craftmanship.
Wilson’s individual brilliance really came to the forefront in Cardiff’s 2-0 victory away to Luton Town.
Picking the ball up deep into Luton’s half, merely a few touches were needed before the mercurial midfielder released a curling effort into the far corner of the goal, promptly breaking the deadlock in scintillating style.
Wilson would later go on to scoop the Man of the Match award, leaving both fans and pundits to wax lyrical over his performance in Hertfordshire.
Here is what a few supporters had to say following that moment of magic:
There is, unsurprisingly, a hankering for Wilson to weave his wondrous wand for the Bluebirds- and at the moment, he is doing a first-class job of that.
All of a sudden, the Welsh side find themselves firmly seated in the race for a playoff position and if that is to be consistently pursued, let alone achieved, it is imperative that their principal creator continues to captivate. Wilson is arguably the most technically gifted footballer in the City ranks by some way, and Cardiff are simply a much more threatening proposition when he is on form.
After Sean Dyche’s Burnley failed to meet Liverpool’s asking price for the talented young operator, a temporary switch to Cardiff appeared his only option for regular first team football. The move was met with an ambience of surprise, for many anticipated Wilson to be playing in the Premier League once again, but it has proved to have a huge effect on him.
Moving to South Wales has, eventually, allowed Wilson to discover his most potent, deadly role on the field and has also birthed a streetwise, perhaps slightly pugnacious manner in his play that had not been observed before.
Due to his early exposure to professional football, it serves as something of an eye-opener that Wilson is still only 23. Subsequently, the footballing architect still has a lot to learn and is far from the finished article.
But undeniably, his tenure in the Welsh Capital has provided a real learning curve that will accompany him for the rest of his days in the game.
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