Cardiff struggled to complete deadline day signings due to the disappearance of record signing Emiliano Sala, Neil Warnock claims.
Sala and pilot David Ibbotson remain missing after the Piper Malibu plane carrying them over the English Channel disappeared on January 21, two days after the Argentinian striker completed a £15million move to Cardiff.
The aircraft went missing near the Channel Islands as Sala travelled back to Wales from Nantes, having visited his former club to say his goodbyes.
Ken Choo, Cardiff’s chief executive, confirmed last week the club were not given a transfer window extension by the Premier League despite Sala’s disappearance, and they had to adhere to Thursday’s 11pm deadline.
Just one other player was brought in by the Bluebirds between Sala’s disappearance and the close of the January window, with Leandro Bacuna completing a deadline day move from Reading.
However, manager Neil Warnock has revealed the club were in talks with strikers over potential moves – but claims they did not want to sign for Cardiff in the wake of Sala’s disappearance.
“One or two of the strikers we were talking about didn’t really want to come in the circumstances,” Warnock told a press conference.
“They didn’t want to come in after what’s happened. So it’s been a very difficult window.”
Bacuna became Cardiff’s third January signing upon completing his deadline day move, with Oumar Niasse, the forward, joining the Welsh outfit on loan the day before Sala was announced as the club’s record signing.
Cardiff, who are four points from safety, host Bournemouth on Saturday evening hoping to pick up a result against the side who thrashed Chelsea 4-0 earlier this week.