Cardiff City sack star player three days before start of the season

Mendez-Laing played close to 100 matches for the club since 2017

Cardiff City have terminated the contract of star player Nathaniel Mendez-Laing just three days before the start of the Championship season, but have yet to offer an explanation why. The announcement by the club came as the player deleted all of his social media accounts. Neil Harris' side face Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day of the league season on Saturday, but will be without a player who featured in 27 league matches last season. In a (very) short statement released on the club's website, Cardiff said: "Cardiff City Football Club has, with immediate effect, terminated the contract of Nathaniel Mendez-Laing. The Club will not be making any further comment on the matter." So, yeah, they're keeping pretty fucking quiet on what the actual reasons are for this decision. No doubt the internet will respond in a reasonable manner which doesn't lead to countless theories being spread across the United Kingdom within a couple of hours. No doubt at all. The Bluebirds finished fifth in the Championship last season, entering the play-offs as a result, but were eliminated by eventual play-off winners Fulham in the semi-finals.