Championship goal machine is going nowhere say title hopefuls
Published:Jay Bothroyd will snub a move to the Premier League in favour of a Championship title charge with the club that has resurrected his career.
Cardiff City are 5/1 to win the Championship and will need Bothroyd’s goals to make up the five point deficit that Queens Park Rangers (10/11) currently hold on them.
Since joining Cardiff in 2008, Bothroyd has scored 36 goals in 96 appearances and is enjoying his finest run of form in a career that has spanned spells in Wales, England and Italy.
Blackburn Rovers, Fulham and West Ham United are all interested in taking Bothroyd in the January transfer window, but the Premier League clubs have been warned off by the Cardiff board despite Bothroyd’s contract ending in the summer.
The England international could command a fee of £2m for the cash strapped South Wales club, but Cardiff realise that promotion to the Premier League would bring in a lot more revenue and that Bothroyd is crucial to that cause.
Bothroyd has 15 goals in 19 starts for Cardiff this season and 13 of these have come in the Championship which is why he is the 9/2 joint favourite alongside Watford’s Danny Graham in the top Championship goalscorer betting.
Graham has one more goal than Bothroyd at this stage of the season but the Watford side can’t match the ability that the Cardiff squad can boast and Bothroyd looks the pick of the Championship strikers.
Reported interest from Chelsea only enhances the former Arsenal trainee’s reputation and Bothroyd offers plenty of value in the Championship betting with 21 games left in the Championship season.
Cardiff are averaging 1.6 goals per game in the Championship this season and Bothroyd has benefited the most having scored 32.5% of Cardiff’s goals this season.
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