Neil Warnock has dismissed fears that Spanish midfielder Victor Camarasa could leave Cardiff in the January transfer window.
The 24-year-old – who has arguably been Cardiff’s best player this season – has been linked with a January move, but the Premier League club have stated their season-long deal with LaLiga outfit Real Betis is binding.
“He’s definitely here (for the season),” Cardiff manager Warnock said.
“He is getting better as the season goes along, and Real Betis can only thank me that I’ve put him in the shop window!
“They must have a hell of a team and I’ve asked them if they have any more reserves like this.
“I think he has matured beyond all recognition. I’d like to think that knowing I have given him the freedom to do what he’s good at.”
Cardiff have been boosted ahead of Saturday’s league trip to Leicester with the news that goalkeeper Neil Etheridge will be available in January.
Etheridge had expected to be called up for international duty at next month’s Asian Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates, but Philippines manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has decided to leave him out of his squad.
Warnock said: “I spoke to Sven. I would have been happy whatever but he was really forthcoming.
“He said ‘Neil knows how important it is for you and the club and I respect that’. I could not say any more really, well done.
“They can override that if they want. Neil wanted to stay and help us, he didn’t want to lose his place..
“He could have gone for the first game and come back, but would that have been fair on the goalkeepers over there to do that? I don’t think it would have been.
“They could either take him for the whole lot or not take him at all really.
“And between them that is what they have decided. From our point of view it’s great not to be changing too much at this stage.”
Warnock had been hoping to get some transfer business done early when the window opens next week.
But Nantes rejected his bid for Argentinean striker Emiliano Sala, and Warnock accepts he might have to wait until the end of the January window to make some signings.
“It’s difficult whether you’ve got money or not because it’s such a difficult time to sign players,” he said.
“We’ve asked for about five or six strikers, but it’s always a gamble.
“There’s two or three players on my list that could probably play Premier League for not as much (money) as we’ve been paying out.
“But clubs don’t want to sell their players, and you’ve got to find a club that’s willing to let them go and then pay the right figure.
“I would liked to have got them in for the FA Cup game and bed them in.
“That could still happen as things can change overnight, but it looks like we’ll have to be patient.”
