Transfers are done, now all focus turns on staying in the Championship for Cardiff City.
A positive month of results in January - the less said about the start of February the better - sees the Bluebirds in a far healthier position than where they started 2025.
Currently, they are in 19th position and four points away from the drop zone. But in reality, the league fixtures coming this month will likely have a huge bearing on which division they play their football in next season.
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City take on Stoke City in the FA Cup fourth round this weekend, so manager Omer Riza will likely use it as an opportunity to use his fringe players and potentially to up the fitness of players returning from injury.
So, with the deals in the transfer window now all wrapped up and players having returned from injury, what is Cardiff's best XI when they have a full roster from which to choose? We take a look...
In goal, Jak Alnwick has been a mainstay this season, particularly under Riza. He is one of the leaders in the squad and has donned the captain's armband on 18 occasions. That being said, he faces stiff competition in the form of Ethan Horvath.
It is arguable that Horvath is a slightly better shot-stopper, however Alnwick looks far more comfortable with the ball at his feet. There is not a great deal to separate the two, but the No.1 shirt appears to be Alnwick's for the time being. Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.
It seems unthinkable that anyone other than Perry Ng would be the right-back of choice, but Andy Rinomhota has rendered himself virtually undroppable after a sizzling run of form out of position on the right-hand side of the defence. Writing off that Leeds game, Rinomhota has been fantastic since becoming a makeshift right-back and deserves to continue.
At centre-back, Dimitrios Goutas rarely lets Cardiff City down. He's proven himself to be a very assured defender at this level and, following the exit of Manolis Siopis, the imminent expiration of the Greek's contract is arguably Cardiff's greatest concern on that front right now.
As for Goutas's centre-half partner, Jesper Daland, there is still a way to go. It's been a rocky start to life in the Championship for the Norwegian, but adjusting to English football's second-tier is no easy task. But with Will Fish breathing down his neck, Daland has to start turning out consistent performances to ensure that starting berth remains his. Which, on balance, means he probably lines up with Goutas in this hypothetical team.
It's a straight shootout between Callum O'Dowda and Joel Bagan at left-back. O'Dowda is more dynamic and in many ways it's a means of getting a really talented, proven player at this level in the team. But Bagan rightly has his backers. He is another who scarcely lets the side down and has a lovely cross on him when he has that confidence to get forward. But O'Dowda probably just shaves it.
Working on the proviso that Cardiff's best team will have to be comprised of a midfield three, this is where it gets tricky. There are so many options there right now, with Calum Chambers having been promoted into the middle of the park from defence, Sivert Mannsverk and Will Alves having been signed and Aaron Ramsey returning from injury.
Much like the Rinomhota argument, there would be precious few railing against the idea that Chambers must start. He's been like a player reborn in that deeper role. Alongside him it looks like a shootout between Mannsverk and captain Joe Ralls. You know what you're getting with Ralls and he certainly merits his place in the conversation, but it's difficult to believe that Cardiff have loaned in a player from Dutch giants Ajax without thinking he has the ability to start and really make a difference in this side.
That final midfield spot is where it gets interesting. In all likelihood, it's Alex Robertson, but then one wonders whether there is enough attacking thrust in the middle of the park. Will new-boy Will Alves surprise everyone and take that spot and run with it? Or will the returning Ramsey hit the ground running after such a lengthy lay-off? He could still be one of the very best in the division on his day. The consensus at the minute seems to be, though, that he'll be better served as an impact player off the bench for the time being.
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Rubin Colwill, earlier this season at least, would have been a shoo-in for that spot, but he has just dropped down the pecking order with his form just cooling of late. Whichever way you look at it, there are real options there for Riza now, but it'll likely be Robertson that grabs the final spot in this composite XI.
With regards to the three up front, top-scorer Callum Robinson picks himself as the main striker - although both Yousef Salech and Roko Simic will have designs on ousting him in the coming weeks and months - but City have struggled for consistency of the wings. Cian Ashford is probably the most in-form of the lot and should keep his place on the right, while Anwar El Ghazi is likely the option on the left.
Whether Riza sees Alves, who has played most of his football for Leicester in the No.10 but much of his football for England's youth teams on the wing, as a wide or central player will likely have a bearing on this call, too. But Ashford, Robinson and El Ghazi, for now, are the most likely picks.
Team: Alnwick; Rinomhota, Goutas, Daland, O'Dowda; Mannsverk, Chambers, Robertson; Ashford, Robinson, El Ghazi.
