Neil Warnock is convinced of a swift resolution to the Emiliano Sala transfer saga after admitting mistakes have been made in the dispute between Cardiff and Nantes.
Warnock was speaking after reports that Sala had signed a potentially invalid Cardiff contract in the days before he died in a plane crash in the English Channel on January 21.
Sala was Cardiff’s record signing at £15million and the Premier League club and Nantes have been in dispute since the 28-year-old’s death.
Nantes’ lawyers wrote to Cardiff on February 5 asking for the first of three annual payments for the player, as was agreed last month, to be paid within 10 working days.
Cardiff have made it clear they want to wait until the investigation into the crash is complete and, with talks continuing behind the scenes, the two clubs agreed on Wednesday to extend the deadline on the first instalment of 6m euros (£5.27m) by one week to February 27.
“I’ve got every confidence in Mehmet Dalman (Cardiff chairman) that it will come to a conclusion in the near future,” Warnock said ahead of the league visit of Watford on Friday.
“They’ve asked for an extension and Nantes have agreed to that. Certain things were done in reflection that shouldn’t have been done, that stirred everybody up.
“I’ve known Mehmet since I’ve been here and I’m sure the club will deal with it in the right way in the next few days.”
Warnock also denied there was a conflict of interest in his relationship with his son James, who works as an agent for Unique Sports Management.
The relationship between the Warnocks has been under media scrunity as USM have Cardiff players Sean Morrison and Rhys Healey on their books.
“I feel sorry for James,” Warnock said. “Morrison was mentioned, but we turned down £5-£6million from Sheffield Wednesday for him and thought it was a sensible thing to put him on a longer contract.
“Young Rhys Healey was mentioned, an up-and-coming lad who I think has got a big future in the game.
“All the other players mentioned were at the club before I came here.
“They mentioned me signing (Wilfried) Zaha at Palace. I don’t think that was a bad signing for £6m when he’s worth about £60m now.”
Cardiff return to Premier League action at home to Watford on Friday following a 13-day break.
In that time Warnock and Cardiff chief executive Ken Choo have been to Argentina to attend Sala’s funeral.
Cardiff would climb to 13th place by claiming a third successive top-flight win, something they have not managed since April 1961.
“To get three wins on the trot in the Premier League for a club like Cardiff is nigh-on impossible,” Warnock said.
“Watford are probably the best team in the league outside the top six.
“They’re a strong physical side who have got good players and, although it was 3-2 down there, they beat us well.
“But in adversity you tend to pull together and that’s been the situation here.
“What’s happened has made us play more of a tempo. We’ve got good players, and it’s about believing in ourselves.”
