Outgoing Cardiff City chairman Peter Ridsdale has urged the club's new Malaysian owners to keep hold of manager Dave Jones.Cardiff missed out on promotion to the Premier League on Saturday after losing 3-2 to Blackpool in the Championship play-off final at Wembley.
But the defeat has already sparked rumours over Jones' future.
"I brought Dave in five years ago and he's done a fantastic job," Ridsdale told BBC Wales.
"Sometimes you don't know how valuable an asset is until you lose it.
"My advice would be Dave Jones is the best man to take it forward and ultimately to the Premier League."
Ridsdale hands over control to the new consortium - headed by Dato Chan Tien Ghee - on Thursday, ending his five-year spell in south Wales.
But the Malaysian businessman, known as TG to Bluebirds' fans, is due to meet with Jones on Monday to discuss future plans for the club.
The former Wolverhampton Wanders, Southampton and Stockport boss has been linked with the vacant jobs at Premier League side West Ham United and Scottish Premier League giants Celtic.
Chan gave a one-word answer when asked if the club would struggle to hold on to Jones following the play-off final defeat, "no".
Missing out on promotion also raises questions over the futures of star players including Joe Ledley, who is out of contract.
But Ridsdale says it will be up to the new board to decide what they think is best, both in terms of the playing squad and managing the club's debt which is thought to be between £15m and £30m.
"Clearly TG and Dave will have discussions and they will agree what they wish to do," Ridsdale added.
"I can't say what they [the board] are going to do.
"The requirement to sell depends on how much the investors want to put in and what they wish to do with the squad.
"Over the last five years we've sold players each summer to help balance the books, but that was partly because the turnover at Ninian Park was substantially less than the turnover at the Cardiff City Stadium.
"So a lot depends on what they want to do with the squad and whether they want to refresh the squad by selling players and bringing new players in.
"But that's a question for the new management."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport