Bluebirds manager said he “couldn’t wait to get out” of the EU Cardiff set to seal club-record £20m deal for Emiliano Sala

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Cardiff City have released a statement distancing themselves from manager Neil Warnock’s comments on Brexit, made after their 0-0 draw with Huddersfield on Saturday.

Warnock was asked if Brexit would make things harder for English clubs to sign players from abroad in the January transfer window, and not only did he say the UK’s departure from the European Union would be better “football-wise”, but stated that he “couldn’t wait to get out” and “to hell with the rest of the world.”

On Monday morning, a Cardiff spokesperson said: “Comments made by our manager following Saturday’s fixture are representative of his personal political stance.

“These comments do not reflect the political position of Cardiff City Football Club, nor its Board of Directors.”

Neil Warnock on Brexit: ‘I can’t wait to leave. To hell with the rest of the world’ Read more

Warnock’s remarks created some controversy over the weekend, so much so that the club was moved to take the unusual step of publicly confirming that they were only the thoughts of their manager.

Warnock said: “I think once the country knows what they’re doing, it will be straightforward [to make signings] … Any transfer window is difficult for me, not just this one.”

He continued: “I don’t know why politicians don’t do what the country wants, if I’m honest. They had a referendum and now we see different politicians and everyone else trying to put their foot in it … Why did we have a referendum in the first bloody place?

“I can’t wait to get out of it, if I’m honest. I think we’ll be far better out of the bloody thing. In every aspect. Football-wise as well, absolutely. To hell with the rest of the world.”

On a brighter note for Warnock, Cardiff are confident of completing a £20m club-record transfer for Emiliano Sala after the Nantes striker arrived to hold talks in the Welsh capital.

The club have pursued the forward for the last couple of months with Warnock having made two visits to France to watch the 28-year-old Argentinian play. Sala has scored 12 goals in Ligue 1 this season, putting him in third place behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe (14) and Lille’s Nicolas Pepe (13).

The fee would beat the £11m Cardiff paid for Chile midfielder Gary Medel in 2013.