Back with Cardiff just before they sacked their manager. Couldn't play for them yesterday because apparently the paperwork hadn't been completed (too busy compiling the manager's P45). Excellent player. Hope he's given a chance by the new manager.
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Back with Cardiff just before they sacked their manager. Couldn't play for them yesterday because apparently the paperwork hadn't been completed (too busy compiling the manager's P45). Excellent player. Hope he's given a chance by the new manager.
They gotta wait for FIFA to lift their transfer embargo. By right FIFA shouldn't because if they weren't in danger of relegation and desperate for new players they wouldn't have payed Nantes the first installment for Emiliano Sala after years of refusing.
The EFL lifted the embargo last week https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64236759
McGuinness now officially back with Cardiff and available for Saturday's game v Millwall (Wales Online)
Why did he go out on loan in the first place?
Seemed a regular with Cardiff last year, so to then drop a division for a loan move is a bit unusual
Was prone to mistakes at Cardiff last season so they decided to send him out a year for experience - basically let him make the mistakes for some other team and see if he can cut them out of his game.
This season Cardiff have been fairly awful and McGuinness has been excellent so it makes sense from their point of view to call him back.
McGuinness is one that goes under the radar in Ireland because we have loads of young centre backs, but he was highly regarded in England from a young age and they were disappointed that he went with us back when he did. A combination of a big physical centre back and the footballing skills he was taught at Arsenal mean he's still a very promising talent, especially if he has now cut out the lapses in concentration that were in his game previously.
Looks to have impressed on his return with an emphatic MOTM poll (Robinson second is encouraging also)…
https://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/v...76be7fcfbfb4d8
Nineteenth start for Cardiff since 21 January; obviously one of the first names on the team sheet each week.
Unless there's a clause in his contract then he'll be heading into the last season of his current contract.
Scored in the 3-1 pre-season friendly win against The New Saints on 4 July.
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news...3-1-new-saints
Excellent game against Leeds yesterday. This guy is class.
Both McGuinness and COD getting high praise in Cardiff’s MOTM debate. Will soon be able to field a whole team of decent centre halves at this rate!
https://www.cardiffcityforum.co.uk/v...4d566bb74462b0
Signs a new 4-year contract with Cardiff City.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/66538756
Surprised he's commited to a new contract this early. There would have surely been interest from bigger clubs come January especially if he could have walked on a free.
Scores a late winner for Cardiff over a dominant Sunderland. Near post header from a free kick. Was a rock in defence too as Sunderland were in control for much of the game. MOTM in a few places.
Interesting to see the flux at centre-back lately. Omobamidele not getting in the squad at Forest, Collins still prone to brain farts at Brentford. Duffy completely out in the cold at Fulham but doing well at Norwich (well, apart from yesterday). Egan part of a team that ships 8, but Scales is suddenly a potential option. And McGuinness has been getting great reviews lately too.
I don't think we should change the squad centre-backs based on form but it's nice to have options. Maybe worth looking at a couple of them against New Zealand in November?
Probably the only position where there's legitimate starting options who aren't getting in the squad. Be great to have that headache in other positions
Scored v Bristol Rovers in the English League Cup game tonight and is linked with Luton, according to the BBC Football report on the game.
Would be good to cap him as he's eligible for three countries. Admittedly also difficult given how many centre backs we have, but he should be in the conversation at least.
Has an almost Icelandic physicality to him which might appeal to HH (i.e. he's huge).
He's an excellent player. Well worth a cap on merit.
Cardiff manager has confirmed a bid has been lodged for McGuinness and has been lodged around ten days ago so could be Luton going on the links to them. Some reports that Cardiff value him at £10M.
Football is a funny old game and things can change very quickly. It's a fickle industry.
When I watched Mark McGuinness and Jake O'Brien play for the U21s a few years ago, I have to say I wasn't overly impressed by either, but I thought McGuinness had a clear edge over O'Brien. He had a lot more senior games at a higher level under his belt than O'Brien, was an organiser and looked more comfortable on the ball. If you'd asked me then which of the two, at 23, would have gone on to earn senior caps, play in Ligue 1 and then sign for Everton in a €20 million move, I'd probably have said McGuinness. McGuinness has been excelling in the Championship for a few years, playing over 100 games yet arguably going under the radar, whereas O'Brien's career effectively took off after 27 games in Ligue 1. The good thing for McGuinness is that he is only 23 and he has time on his side. It's just unlucky for him that Ireland have so many top centre-backs at the moment. He probably needs a few 'wow' moments this season so people start clamouring for him to be called up.
I agree regarding seeing them at 21s level. McGuinness looked the package. O'Brien looked raw and particularly so on the ball.
However, O'Brien spent his teenage years in the Cork City academy. And McGuinness in the Arsenal one.
O'Brien's quality on the ball for our seniors was unrecognisable from what I had seen previously. Development has been rapid.
He's also really fast. Is he faster than McGuinness maybe?
Either way, maybe goals would help McGuinness. He got 2 last year and O'Brien got 4 in less games. O'Brien is also two inches taller. And could be faster. So if he's done all that and cleaned up his quality on the ball you can see what has happened here.
However, there might be a piece where Ligue 1 is a similar standard to the Championship but isn't as sexy! I can't imagine scouts falling into that trap though.
Maybe McGuinness didn't look the package. He definitely had the clear edge!
I see he missed the game on Saturday, when they got tanked 5 0 by Burnley. Any word on his injury?
Looks like he was left out ahead of a potential move. Probably to Luton.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...amsey-29761585
(Trequartista20;2197936) Looks like he was left out ahead of a potential move. Probably to Luton.
Deal agreed, subject to a medical, according to 'The 72', in turn quoting the BBC. "The deal could be worth as much as £10m..."
Doesn't seem to be finalised yet so I'll hold off editing the thread title.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soc...ff/ar-AA1p6ljlQuote:
“Mark McGuinness is a throwback if you ask me. He is an old-fashioned defender – he enjoys defending,” former Wales striker Roberts told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
“I don’t think he’s great on the ball. His distribution isn’t brilliant - I think he’d admit that.
“But if you put the ball in his penalty box, he will go and win it, he will put his body on the line. That’s something you don’t see too much of in this day and age.
“£10m for a player who a couple of years ago went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday and didn’t look as if he had a future at the club – it’s good business for Cardiff and it will be a good move for Mark.”
Transfer to Luton confirmed on the Cardiff City website:
https://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/news...ins-luton-town
Would imagine the up front fee is a lot less than that. Good player at that level though.
£6m plus add-ons seems to be what he has gone for.
Not a hope, I'd say. I mean, with his grounding having been at Arsenal, he'd have had all the exposure you'd need, yet I don't think he was ever in the frame, even at under-age.
I seem to recall from when you first called him up, he gave an interview saying how excited he was, clearly implying that it was "ROI or nothing", which is fair enough imo.
Ironically, though, he qualifies through his Dad, who's from Limavady. Yet the same Dad represented England in lawn bowls, including at the Commonwealth Games! (Mark's brother, too).
Anyhow, CB is a rare position where NI are reasonably well stocked, so we're not desperate, even for a decent player like him. But if he were a CF.... :cool:
Scored tonight, away to QPR, but looks like being on the losing side.
Missed a great chance to equalise on 94 mins. Rose well and got a great connection to a nicely flighted corner but just got under it and put it about 1-2 feet over the bar. He made a mistake late on that he tried to recover from by pulling back the QPR attacker's jersey which he got away with. Otherwise he seemed to have a good game, as did Dunne although he got left for dead by some tricky wing play in the move that led to the aforementioned corner.