Not many options for Cardiff City

This careful and throrough analysis suggests that there are not many viable options for financially troubled Cardiff City who have a 56-day deadline to settle their debts with the taxman:

• A fire sale of players would come too late to settle the outstanding debts.
• Selling the stadium and leasing it back is another option, but only the City Council has the money and they are unlikely to want to spend it in that way.
• Outside investment would seem possible given the club's potential.  But the role of Malaysian investor Chan is somewhat mysterious and it seems that he would not want a closer involvement without the £10m debt to Langstone being sorted out.
• A CVA would be a good route out, but it would have to be agreed to by 75 per cent of creditors and that seems unlikely.
• At the end of the day the only solution might be for the club to put itself into administration.