Emiliano Sala left harrowing voice message before his flight disappeared.
Cardiff City players have been left with a fear of flying following the tragic loss of Emiliano Sala.
Psychologists have been called in to help the English Premier League squad cope with the aftermath of the plane crash which took the life of Bamba, who is missing presumed dead.
Captain Sol Bamba, who knew Sala, revealed to the Telegraph that Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock told players they could stand down from this week's match against Arsenal if they did not feel capable of playing.
"It is very difficult to even describe how the players are feeling," said Bamba.
"We have all been affected by it, the lads, the city, the whole club. We have had some help.
"We travel by plane and some of the lads have been thinking 'I don't want to go on it any more'. It was that deep.
"Before the game [against Arsenal] there was a feeling of 'let's do it for Sala...the lads all wanted to play for him and for the club. Credit to everyone.
United by tragedy...Arsenal and Cardiff City. Photo / Photosport
"The gaffer has been good and the club have been good in terms of bringing someone in to talk to if we need to. And I think some of the lads do, they need to get it out.
"So I think it was good thinking from the club and the gaffer and hopefully in the weeks to come we are going to feel better."
Bamba said Sala had visited the Cardiff stadium and the training ground.
"He's been talking to the lads to say hello and he was definitely part of us. We feel like we are missing him.
"I spoke to him before he signed. He asked about the club, the dressing room and would he fit into the team, what the gaffer and the city are like. I told him only good things and he was looking forward to it."
A private search of the English Channel continues for Sala and the pilot, who disappeared on a flight last week taking the Argentinian player from Nantes to his new club in Wales.
"We said back home that where there is life there is hope and you never know what is going to happen," said Bamba.
"The search continues and hopefully we can find something good for the family in particular. I've got kids myself so I can imagine how the family feel.
"But overall it has been very difficult for everyone involved with Cardiff City and the whole football community. The support we have had from everyone in the game has been very good."
French authorities have found cushions from the plane on the Cotentin Peninsula.
Cardiff and Arsenal made pre-match tributes to Sala before their match in London, which Arsenal won.
Cardiff fans held a banner declaring "'we never saw you play and we never saw you score but Emiliano our beautiful Bluebird we will love you forever more".
