Neil Warnock: Cardiff City boss keen to stay for promotion bid

Image source, Huw Evans picture agency

Image caption, Neil Warnock took charge of Cardiff City following Paul Trollope's sacking in October 2016

Manager Neil Warnock has delivered the strongest indication yet he is keen to stay at Cardiff City and mount a promotion challenge next season.

Warnock, 68, has a meeting with chairman Mehmet Dalman next week to discuss his future.

But having steered Cardiff away from the Championship relegation zone during his five-month reign, Warnock says he feels "refreshed".

"I might even do a couple [of years] whatever the situation," he said.

After back-to-back wins on the road against Leeds and Derby, on Saturday Warnock will cross swords with Rotherham, who he saved from relegation last season during a 16-game spell from February until June.

The Millers were keen to keep Warnock last summer and he admits he was close to staying with them.

"Rotherham actually gave me that zest back," he said.

"If I am honest I might have let my heart rule my head at times. If we had agreed terms straight away I think I might have stayed."

Now Warnock feels similarly revitalised having taken over at Cardiff in October.

"It's given me the belief in what I do really. I have been a manager 37 years, that is a long time - more than a lot of my lads have ever been born," he said.

"To still have that enthusiasm and that desire to want to put one over people or managers or clubs. That is what I thrive on.

"The biggest thing is for Cardiff fans to go home having seen a performance or effort of their team and to be talking about the club again in the good sense rather than a negative sense."

'It's nice to be wanted'

Warnock said Cardiff chairman Dalman would provide him with financial details on what funds could be available this summer at a meeting in the next few days.

"We need to know what we can do to be able to bring the three or four players in because we don't have that many players out of contract really, so it is not as straightforward to thin my squad or to do things," Warnock added.

"So its going to be difficult in the next few months to put things in place.

"It is nice to be wanted. The biggest thing coming here was the reaction of the Cardiff fans to me taking over, it was fantastic.

"It would have to be something extreme I have not thought about to take me away from that."