Wales international Kieffer Moore will be leaving AFC Bournemouth this transfer window with a number of Championship clubs queuing up to sign the striker.
The 31 year old spent the second half of last season on loan at Ipswich Town and helped them to get over the line to earn promotion to the Premier League. Moore has now been deemed surplus to requirements on the South Coast and is subject to interest from Sheffield United and Cardiff City.
Kieffer Moore’s journey through the football pyramid
Having started his career in non-league football, Kieffer Moore has pulled on the shirt of a number of different clubs throughout his career as well as the Welsh national team. The striker started his career as a youth player for Torquay United before going on to play for Paignton Saints where he scored 47 goals in 43 games.
Moore combined his spells in non-league for Truro City and Dorchester Town with part-time jobs as a lifeguard and personal trainer before earning a move into the EFL with Yeovil Town. Looking back on his time in non-league Moore stated that:
“The non-league route is hard, it’s a bit of a grind, but I always believed that if you put that work in you get your rewards and I always believed I could make it”.
After two seasons with the Glovers, Moore spent a season in the Norwegian Tippeligaen with Viking before joining National League side Forest Green Rovers. Despite earning a move to Ipswich Town in 2017, Moore didn’t make an impact and was sent on loan to Rotherham United where his career as a goalscorer in the EFL took off.
Thirteen goals in twenty-two appearances for the Millers saw a move to Barnsley in the Championship. Despite the Tykes’ relegation in Moore’s first season with the club, he bagged 19 goals in 35 appearances in all competitions in the following season.
In 2019, Moore earned a move back up to the Championship with Wigan Athletic. His impressive performances in the Championship earned the striker his international debut for Wales after being eligible through his Welsh grandfather. He scored on his debut for the national team in a UEFA 2020 European qualifier against Slovakia and has since made 43 appearances for Wales, scoring 12 goals.
A successful spell at Cardiff followed with 25 goals in 66 games which saw Moore move to his current club AFC Bournemouth in 2022. The striker scored four goals in as many appearances including the match-winning goal in the decisive game to seal promotion to the top division for the Cherries, earning his chance to play in the Premier League.
Moore has made 35 appearances in England’s top tier and scored 5 goals. Despite his ability, he has fallen down the pecking order with the Cherries and had a second stint at Ipswich Town in 2024, scoring seven goals in the 18 appearances made during his second spell at the club.
Where next for Moore and why does a return to Cardiff make sense? – Opinion
A number of clubs will be lining up to sign the 31 year old and according to reports, Sheffield United and Cardiff City are among those.
Cardiff City were strongly linked with the striker before he signed for Ipswich Town earlier this year and on signing the striker, Kieran McKenna had high praise as to what Kieffer Moore would bring to his side:
“Kieffer will bring some very important technical and physical attributes to the squad. We feel his professionalism and mentality will be an addition to the culture we already have within the group”.
His ability and affect within the Championship is shown through the stats during his spell at Ipswich last season. Moore scored a total of seven goals for the Tractor boys with an average of more than one goal every two games (1.1 goals per 180 minutes).
The striker provided a persistent threat having taken an average of 3.37 shots per 90 minutes with 1.49 of these on target. Moore may not be the best striker with the ball at his feet but certainly makes up for that with his physical attributes.
Winning 66.4% of aerial duels with an average of 6.81 per 90 minutes shows the impact the Moore could have in providing an outball for sides who are under pressure. Coupled with this is the average fouls that Moore won at 1.64 per 90 minutes which yields pressure on Moore’s team when facing persistent attacks.
It would not be a surprise to see Kieffer Moore return to Cardiff City given his previous spell at the club and the link that was made during the 2023-24 season. Cardiff manager Erol Bulut did not hide his disappointment when the striker chose to join Ipswich and it is clear to see why given the positive impact he would have on the side. Given that the Bluebirds scored the highest number of set piece goals with 20 goals last season, it would be a huge benefit to them if they could add Moore’s physical qualities and presence to their set piece threat for the 2024-25 season.