{"id":18838,"date":"2026-07-18T17:20:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:20:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/?p=18838"},"modified":"2026-07-18T17:31:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:31:56","slug":"cardiff-city-complete-signing-of-forward-kate-oakley-after-derby-county-departure-story-and-analysis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/cardiff-city-complete-signing-of-forward-kate-oakley-after-derby-county-departure-story-and-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Cardiff City complete signing of forward Kate Oakley after Derby County departure | Story and Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kate-16x9-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18840\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kate Oakley becomes Noah Bushby&#8217;s fourth signing of the summer (Photo by Cardiff City)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Genero Adran Premier side Cardiff City have completed the signing of forward Kate Oakley, after departing FA Women&#8217;s National League side Derby County this summer. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Primarily a winger but capable of playing across the frontline, Oakley becomes Cardiff City Manager Noah Bushby&#8217;s fourth signing of the summer, after the arrivals of Ella Hilliard, Gillian Keenan and TJ Gauvain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oakley came through the Liverpool Academy before joining Lewes in 2023, making five appearances in the Barclays Women&#8217;s Championship, now known as the WSL 2. She also spent time out on loan at Worthing in that same season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 21-year-old made the switch to Derby County in 2024, a club she would become a regular for over a two year period, making 43 appearances in all competitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On arriving in the capital, <a href=\"https:\/\/tv.cardiffcityfc.co.uk\/videos\/031d4def-46e7-407e-ae4c-7724a1ea40a3\">Oakley told Cardiff City TV:<\/a> <em>\u201cI\u2019m very pleased. It\u2019s a great club and I\u2019m excited to get going. I would say I\u2019m direct, I\u2019m a winger, I like to get on the ball and bring people into the game. Hopefully, a few goals and assists as well.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cI\u2019m very grateful for the opportunity and excited to see what I can do and play in front of the fans.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-normal-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Analysis | Oakley&#8217;s strength and power alongside her speed proves a threat <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udde3\ufe0f \u201cI\u2019m very grateful for the opportunity. I&#39;m excited to show what I can do and play in front of the fans.\u201d<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/CityAsOne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CityAsOne<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Cardiff City FC Women (@CardiffCityFCW) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CardiffCityFCW\/status\/2078155266546078127?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">July 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Analysis by Harry Ware<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another key signing from Cardiff City, who have strengthened again in attack, and with Kate Oakley, another player arrives in the capital with experience at a high level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cardiff-city-sign-winger-gillian-keenan-from-the-league-of-ireland-premier-division\/\">With the impressive capture of Gillian Keenan already made by City boss Noah Bushby, <\/a>with the Irish winger having won the League of Ireland with Athlone Town, the signing of former Liverpool youngster Oakley brings a different career path, but one of similar pedigree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Known for her pace in previous seasons, Oakley&#8217;s strength and power alongside her speed proves a threat down both wings for defences, whilst also being able to operate as a number 9 when required, the type of ability The Bluebirds needed after the summer departures of Fiona Barry, Laura Curnock and Mikayla Cook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Effective in a high press and willingness to win loose balls and any 50:50 that comes her way, Cardiff&#8217;s fourth signing of the summer could well be pivotal both in and out of possession in the Genero Adran Premier, as the Bute Energy Welsh Cup holders begin a new era and a potential new system on the pitch under new leadership. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk\/news\/city-women-kate-oakley-bluebird\">Cardiff City Manager Bushby told the club website: <\/a><em>\u201cKate is a really exciting addition to our squad. Whilst she already has huge talent, she is exactly the type of player we want at Cardiff City, someone who has potential to improve and the ambition to develop their game even further.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cShe has the pace, creativity and mentality to excite our supporters and we\u2019re delighted to welcome her into our group. I\u2019m very pleased with our recruitment so far this summer and feel our squad is in a good place ahead of our first game of pre-season this Sunday.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite having plenty experience already, including at WSL 2 level, the forward is still only 21, with many years of development and growth ahead, something Noah Bushby is well-respected for from his previous roles at the club. Kate Oakley is certainly a player to watch in the upcoming campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Genero Adran Premier side Cardiff City have completed the signing of forward Kate Oakley, after departing FA Women&#8217;s National League side Derby County this summer. Primarily a winger but capable of playing across the frontline, Oakley becomes Cardiff City Manager Noah Bushby&#8217;s fourth signing of the summer, after the arrivals of Ella Hilliard, Gillian Keenan [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":18840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123,99,138],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-sports","category-the-adran-leagues-show-extra"],"acf":[],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kate-16x9-1-e1784391436654.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18838"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18860,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18838\/revisions\/18860"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cymrusport.cymru\/cy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}