Yakou Méïté signs for Cardiff City

The Bluebirds are excited to welcome forward Yakou Méïté to the Club on a two-year deal.

The 27-year-old arrives in the Welsh capital following the expiration of his contract at Reading FC; during his time with the Royals, Méïté scored 42 goals in 156 Championship appearances, with eight assists.

Yakou began his career in his native France, coming through the youth ranks at Paris Saint-Germain and making one First Team appearance for the current Ligue 1 champions.

He moved to the Select Car Leasing Stadium in 2016, and helped Reading reach the Championship Play-Off Final in his first season. Yakou went on to score more than ten goals in three consecutive seasons between 2018/19 and 2020/21.

On the international stage, the striker has three caps for the Ivory Coast national team, all of which came back in 2019.

Upon completing his signing at Cardiff City Stadium, Yakou said: “I’m delighted to be here. It wasn’t a difficult decision to join Cardiff City once they came in for me. I’ve had many conversations with the manager, and I very much liked what I heard from him and the project he wanted to achieve at this Club.

“I’ve always liked playing here at the Stadium and cannot wait to do so for Cardiff City.”

City boss Erol Bulut added: "It’s a great signing for us. He will help us a lot with his power and his speed. We are really very satisfied that he’s signed for us. He has played the last five or six years in the Championship, so he knows the league very well. 

“He knows how to score goals, which is very important for us. It will take a little bit of time, but it’s good that he’s come here with one month to go until the league begins. We will get him ready for then."

Yakou is City’s third signing of the 2023 summer transfer window and the week, joining Iké Ugbo and Dimitrios Goutas in South Wales. Welcome to CCS, Yakou!