SpotlightDaily Mail FootballUnverified source· 23 Sept 2026
Barry-Murphy's Cardiff academy gamble pays off
Cardiff leaned on homegrown talent to climb back to the Championship — and the Premier League is circling.
Brian Barry-Murphy
coach
Club
Cardiff City
Role
Manager
Key stat
Most EFL minutes to academy graduates last season
Outcome
Promoted to Championship at first attempt
What happened. Cardiff City returned to the Championship at the first attempt under Brian Barry-Murphy, giving more minutes to homegrown players than any other EFL club last season. More than a third of their minutes came from academy graduates.
- Dylan Lawlor, 20, has drawn interest from Bayern Munich after breaking into the Wales team.
- Rubin and Joel Colwill, Isaak Davies, Ronan Kpakio and Cian Ashford are among the graduates.
- Cardiff have set a new club record for youngest player three times in 12 months.
“When I first came here, I truly didn't realise the size of the club”
— Brian Barry-Murphy
Barry-Murphy says he will stick by his young talents as Premier League clubs circle the academy's best prospects.
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