Sheffield Wednesday earned promotion to the Championship yesterday, after beating South Yorkshire rivals Barnsley in the League One play-off final.
Josh Windass’ goal in the final minutes of extra time sealed the win for Wednesday. The Owls have spent two seasons in League One after their relegation from the Championship back in 2021, but they’re returning to the Championship after an impressive season in the third tier.
And one player who played an important role for the Owls in the first half of the season was Mark McGuinness. The centre-back joined on loan from Cardiff City and featured 17 times in League One before returning to Cardiff, but journalist Darren Witcoop says that Sheffield Wednesday will target a summer move for the 22-year-old after securing promotion back to the Championship.
Sheffield Wednesday will test Cardiff’s resolve by targeting defender Mark McGuinness this summer. Following promotion back to the Championship, Darren Moore has McGuiness on his Owls wish list follow an impressive loan spell this season #WAWAW #SheffieldWednesday #cardiffcity
— Darren Witcoop (@DarrenOWitcoop) May 29, 2023
Upon returning to parent club Cardiff, McGuinness went on to feature 19 times in the Championship, playing an important role as the Bluebirds clawed their way to safety under Sabri Lamouchi. But the Frenchman has since left and Cardiff are without a manager as they head into another crucial summer transfer window.
What next for McGuinness?
Cardiff City certainly look to have a lot on their plate right now. They’ve been struggling for a number of years and it looks like this summer could be a very testing one for them, with no manager and a seemingly no funds to go about a summer overhaul.
But selling McGuinness and maybe a few others could give them some much-needed resources. He’s a top player and letting him go isn’t ideal, but it might be necessary for them to bring in some more players this summer.
And for Wednesday it’d obviously be a very exciting signing, with plenty of additions needed for them to ensure they can compete in the second tier next time round.
