Interim Cardiff City boss Aaron Ramsey has hinted he wants to continue as the club’s head coach next season, as the Bluebirds aim for an immediate return to the Championship.

A 4-2 defeat at the hands of Norwich marked a sour end to a dismal season for the Bluebirds, who finished rock bottom of the division.

Cardiff’s relegation had already been confirmed ahead of their trip to Carrow Road, with Ramsey opting to give several youngsters a chance.

The Bluebirds started brightly, forcing Angus Gunn—who was putting himself in the shop window after announcing his intention to leave the Canaries—into three smart saves.

But a familiar scenario for the 1,200 travelling Cardiff fans soon began to unfold. In the 14th minute, Chilean midfielder Marcelino Núñez arrived unmarked at the back post to fire past Ethan Horvath.

Just three minutes later, experienced defender Callum Chambers was shown a red card for bringing down Josh Sargent as he raced through on goal.

The misery was compounded as Núñez rifled in the resulting free kick, leaving Cardiff a man and two goals down.

In truth, heads in blue shirts dropped, and just six minutes later Núñez turned provider, setting up Borja Sainz to make it 3-0—how it remained at the break.

A change in shape and personnel helped solidify Cardiff’s defence, with Dylan Lawlor coming on for his Championship debut, his first appearance since an impressive FA Cup outing against Aston Villa.

Joel Bagan also came on following Chambers’ dismissal, making it five at the back for the Bluebirds.

What might have seemed like a damage-limitation strategy at first gave Ramsey’s side a solid foundation in the second half.

While a comeback was never realistically on the cards, it was clear Yousef Salech was determined to end the season with a bang—perhaps too determined.

The Jordanian international took a knock from Cullan Doyle while grappling to get into the box. The Norwich defender had some choice words for the Cardiff forward as he protested to the referee.

But Salech had the last laugh. A brilliant run from near his own half—turning several yellow shirts inside out—ended with the aforementioned Doyle clattering into him from behind.

Penalty given. After some debate over who would take it, Salech shook off the challenge and calmly slotted home to make it 3-1.

Shane Duffy quickly restored Norwich’s three-goal lead, rising highest to head home from a well-delivered corner.

Salech grabbed his eighth goal since arriving in the Welsh capital in January during the dying moments, as a game of pinball in the box ended with the striker smartly slotting past Gunn.

Cardiff’s season may have ended with a whimper, but it was Ramsey’s post-match comments that will spark discussion on the buses back to South Wales.

“I’m open, and I’m sure those discussions [with the Cardiff hierarchy] will come. The club has so much potential. This is a step back. Hopefully, we can address the things that need to happen so everyone can buy into something again and give us and the fans what they deserve.

“There are still a few things I need to sort out and think about over the coming weeks. I love being in this role. I think the players have really bought into it. The habits the coaching staff have instilled into this squad over the last few weeks have been evident. I don’t know [about my future], is the answer. We’ll see.”

The comments came as a surprise, especially considering that just a few weeks ago he appeared to rule himself out of the running, saying he had his eyes on playing at the 2026 World Cup.

Reflecting on the game, Ramsey added: “I was really happy with the way we started. We were on the front foot, caused them a few problems, and had a few chances—should’ve been one or two up.

“These things happen—the sending-off—and you find yourself 2-0 down, so it’s about sorting that out. As soon as we made those tweaks, I felt we were much more in control.

“I can’t fault the boys’ effort. For them to take on all the information we gave them, that speaks volumes. That’s the culture and those are the habits we need if we’re going to be a serious team and bounce back.”

Whoever is at the helm at Cardiff come pre-season will have a huge rebuilding job on their hands. Whether Ramsey fancies his chances at becoming a legendary Cardiff manager—as well as a player—remains to be seen.

---

Sportin Wales’s coverage of Wales’s World Cup qualifying campaign is proudly sponsored by S4C. You can watch all of Wales’s matches this year for free on S4C and S4C Clic.

If you want to read more pieces from Sportin Wales, why not read to our monthly magazine here or subscribe to the magazine and newsletter at https://sportin.wales/subscribe/.

Our podcast is back for the new season and our co-founder Alex Cuthbert is in charge! You can find all the episodes here or the video versions on our YouTube channel.

You can also keep track of our pieces and videos on our socials at @Sportin_Wales on X or Sportin Wales on Instagram and Facebook.