Isaac Vassell was a man in high demand in the summer of 2017 following an impressive breakthrough year at Luton Town.
Having come through the ranks at Plymouth Argyle but not truly breaking into the first team, the 2016/17 campaign with the Hatters was his first taste of EFL football since November 2011, and he was an instant hit at Kenilworth Road.
Starting mainly as an impact player, Vassell grew into the side under Nathan Jones, scoring seven of his eight league goals in the second half of the campaign, alongside five in the latter stages of the EFL Trophy and one in Luton’s play-off semi-final defeat against Blackpool.
And after scoring twice on the opening day of the following campaign in an 8-2 win over Yeovil Town, it was always going to be a struggle keeping the then-23-year-old, and Birmingham City spent £1 million to acquire his services, as Harry Redknapp looked to bolster his frontline ahead of his first full season at St Andrew’s.
Unfortunately, injuries limited him during his spell in the Midlands, and when it looked like he could get a career resurgence at Cardiff City a couple of years later, they struck even harder.
Isaac Vassell’s injury-plagued five years in the Championship with Birmingham City and Cardiff
Vassell had to bide his time in a struggling Birmingham side initially, coming off the bench regularly as the Blues went seven games without a win, resulting in Redknapp being sacked and confirming his retirement from management a month later.
The frontman’s effort off the bench against Sheffield Wednesday secured only their second win of the 2017/18 campaign, and resulted in starts in three of the next four games, including in the Second City Derby against Aston Villa in late October.
Unfortunately, that would be the last game he’d play in over a year, as he was forced off after rupturing his ACL in the 0-0 draw. It was a momentum killer, and Vassell never really recovered.
By the time he came back, in January 2019, Garry Monk was almost a year into his reign in the dugout, and had his own players in the door. Vassell was a feature in every side in the final four months of the campaign, but started just twice, and was free to go in the summer.
Despite interest from Swansea City and a potential reunion with Luton on the cards, the then-25-year-old opted for Cardiff, signing a three-year contract for the side that had just been relegated from the Premier League and had aspirations of returning as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, despite ending the previous campaign injury-free, he couldn’t get away from the treatment table during his time in the Welsh capital, which was a shame, as he netted on his debut against his former side Luton to secure a 2-1 win.
That would be one of only three appearances he made throughout his time at Cardiff, being struck down with thigh injuries, hamstring injuries and a plethora of other ones, too. Every time he looked to come back, he’d pick up another injury, either playing for the U23’s or in training.
His final setback in February 2022 had many believing that he’d never make his return from two-and-a-half years out, and, indeed, the Bluebirds released him from his contract at the end of the 2021/22 campaign.
Injuries stopped Isaac Vassell from making an impact in the Championship
Vassell seemingly had the world at his feet while at Luton. The sky was the limit, and the £1 million that Championship side Birmingham spent on the League Two striker wasn’t too eyebrow-raising at the time, as it was clear he had potential.
Unfortunately, injuries would always stop any momentum he started to gain, both at Birmingham and Cardiff. The longest run he had without injury in five years was in a four-month stint in 2019, when it looked all but certain that his future lay away from St Andrew’s.
Overall, Vassell made just 27 competitive appearances in five years between August 2017 and June 2022, just over five games a year.
It was a massive disappointment, and one that no one really saw coming after a 2016/17 campaign where he made 53 appearances for Luton.
It was a gamble for Birmingham to sign a striker from two divisions below for a seven-figure fee at the time, and it did not pay off. Not because of a failure to find the net, however, but because of a failure to stay fit.