Erol Bulut appointed as First Team Manager

Cardiff City Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Erol Bulut as First Team Manager.

With over 25 years of experience at the top levels of European football as both a player and manager, the 48-year-old has signed a deal at Cardiff City Stadium and will meet Club staff and media for the first time on Monday afternoon.

Born in Germany, Erol began his playing career at Eintracht Frankfurt having come through the Bundesliga club’s Academy, later winning major national honours playing for the likes of Fenerbahçe and Olympiacos and representing both clubs in the UEFA Champions League. He enjoyed multiple trophy successes as a player, before moving into management in 2017.

After guiding Yeni Malatyaspor to a club-record high fifth-place finish in the Turkish Süper Lig in 2019 and reaching the UEFA Europa League qualifying stages, Erol joined Alyanaspor, leading them to their first domestic Cup Final and, again, the Europa League qualifying stages.

He was approached and recruited by former club and European heavyweight Fenerbahçe in 2020, winning 21 of his 34 matches in charge and securing the club’s highest recorded away win percentage.

Speaking of Erol’s appointment, Tan Sri Vincent Tan said: “I’d like to welcome Erol and offer him my sincerest best wishes and good luck as Manager of Cardiff City.

“This summer allowed us to consider applicants for the manager’s position from across Europe and, having taken our time with the process, I’m extremely confident that we have chosen the best candidate to take us forward.

"Erol has vast experience both as a player and as a manager, having played Champions League football and managed European sides across 200 League games to date. This level of experience is needed at this time and I think will prove invaluable to the squad.

“Erol’s enthusiasm and hunger for success impresses me greatly. When we spoke, it became clear that his intensity and hard work ethic matched the core cultural traits that I want our club to return to.

"His excellent record in European football represents a standard of managerial experience that we have not had at Cardiff City before. His experience in this field, I hope, will allow us to attract a higher profile and standard of player in the coming years.”

Watch Erol’s first interview as Cardiff City Manager here on Monday afternoon!