Captain Ralls leaves Cardiff City

Cardiff City have confirmed captain Joe Ralls is leaving the club.Ralls, the Bluebirds' longest-serving player, had initially been in discussions over potentially extending his 15-year stay at Cardiff City Stadium.But, after talks with new manager Brian Barry-Murphy, the 31-year-old midfielder will move on when his contract expires at the end of this month.Midfielder or right-back Andy Rinomhota is also set to depart with his three-year deal also not being renewed.A decision on their futures had been put on hold as the club awaited to appoint a successor to Omer Riza after demotion to League One, with Barry-Murphy being confirmed as new head coach last week.Ralls made 409 Cardiff appearances having joined the club's academy from Farnborough in 2010.He featured in the club's first promotion to the Premier League in 2013 and was a key figure under Neil Warnock when Cardiff returned to the top flight in 2018.Named club captain in 2022, he is among the Bluebirds' top 10 appearance makers.Paying tribute to his impact at the south Wales club, Cardiff owned Vincent Tan said: "Players like Joe Ralls don't come around very often in the modern game. Joe has displayed incredible loyalty and love throughout his 15 years here."Whether it has been in the midfield, or showing leadership behind the scenes, and always joining in with our community, he has been a figurehead and a gentleman in everything he does. He has the respect of everyone at Cardiff City Football Club."

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