Joe Ralls has expressed his desire for manager Erol Bulut to stay at Cardiff City next season.

Speaking to the Sportin Wales podcast, the Cardiff City captain said that the squad have “really enjoyed working with him” and “of course” he would like the Turkish manager to stay.

Erol Bulut signed a one-year contract upon joining Cardiff City last summer, and has consistently kept quiet on his future beyond the end of the season.

Ralls, though, is keen to continue what has been a successful spell in charge for Bulut.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I think all the boys have enjoyed it with him,” he said.

“There’s been some ups and downs but it’s been quite a while since we’ve had a manager for a full season, so that’s helped us.

“First and foremost, you can see there is progression there and that we’re looking up.

“He’s a real nice fella. I really enjoyed working with him in preseason. He set his stall out nice and early with the boys, the way he wanted to play and the way he wanted us to work.

“We’ve had a really good season. We don’t know the situation at the end of the season [with Bulut’s future] but we can look back and say that he’s helped us progress as a club this season.”

Part of the good feeling around Bulut’s time in charge has been Cardiff’s positive record in derbies this season. Three wins from four games against Swansea and Bristol City have given the club a massive boost at key points in the season.

“The manager has managed a lot of big derbies in Turkey so he fully understands what that means for the fanbase,” Ralls said.

“We’d have loved to win four from four, but three from four is not bad.

“I’ve been around the club my whole career, there’s loads of people are the club who are ‘Cardiff lads’ so we all know the importance [of the derbies].

“They are massive games and can have a big effect on the next few fixtures. They can be a massive springboards for rest of the season and they’ve really kicked us on at times this season.”

After a disappointing 2022/23 campaign that left Cardiff 21st in the Championship, there has been a marked improvement under Bulut. The Bluebirds sit safely in upper mid-table and with a few tight results going their way earlier in the season, could have been preparing for the play-offs.

“We are growing as a team. We were a new team put together last season, with so many new signings,” Ralls said.

“That was a difficult season, obviously, but we’ve added to that core this season. I think you’re seeing a better team, a better spirit, with the core of group starting to form again now.”

“If we can add to that next season, we will be even stronger. Going into the summer, we have to look back on what went well, what didn’t, where we could improve and try and add to that in terms of players.”

One massive boost to the squad was the arrival of Aaron Ramsey. While the Wales captain has suffered from some injury trouble of late, Ralls has felt the positive effects of having such an experienced player in the squad.

“He has been really good for me personally. We’re similar ages and it’s great to have each other and bounce off each other with certain aspects of the football club,” he said.

“What he’s brought mainly, is his quality on the pitch. We saw that earlier on in the season and unfortunately he’s been out and missed a few months recently. He’s a player we’ve missed greatly, along with a few others.

“He’s got experience, he’s played at the top level but he’s also a Cardiff boy, so him coming back here has been amazing.

“It’s given everyone around the club, supporters and players, a massive lift. It’s a bit of shame the way the season has panned out for him, picking up those injuries, but I think you saw early on when you get him fit and playing, he can be a big part of the squad and make a difference in games for us.”

Ralls also touched on his own future, having recently signed a new one-year extension with the option of a further year. However, the Cardiff skipper did go into this season was his future uncertain.

“It’s not something I really think about to be honest,” Ralls said.

“You know you’re there for the season and you try and do the best you can for that season. I had really good communication about it so it was really easy to get done.

“I feel like I’ve had a decent season, and still looking to improve and progress and have an ever better one next season.”