Arsenal academy player Mark McGuinness has joined Championship side Cardiff City on a permanent deal after 12 years of service to the club. The currently 20-year old centre-back had joined the Arsenal academy back in 2009 at the early age of just 10. The Republic of Ireland international spent last season at Ipswich Town on loan from the Gunners.
Mark McGuinness will be the second signing of
Cardiff City this summer. The Welsh club have started to make some good additions to their team with hopes of increasing their chances of promotion to the Premier League.
Why The Young Gunner Decided To Leave Arsenal And Move On?
Mark McGuiness had always dreamed of breaking into the Arsenal setup, but in recent years, that has seemed to be far from possible. After a series of leone moves to smaller clubs, the 20-year old finally decided otherwise and hence the move to Cardiff City in search of some game time and exposure at the highest level.
The Irish defender’s had featured in Arsenal’s 4-1 win against MK Dons in the pre-season friendlies ahead of their 2020-21 campaign. The centre also ended up scoring a goal, but that was the last time he got a chance in the first team.
Last season, McGuinness played 24 matches in League One with Ipswich town, of which he started 23. He scored one goal in those 24 matches and maintained 9 clean sheets. He averaged 5.5 clearances, 2.3 interceptions and 1.1 tackles per game and made a mark with his defensive abilities.
However, distribution is Mark McGuinness’ weak point. His average pass accuracy last season had been 81% which dropped down to 60% in the opposition’s half. The accuracy of his long balls was a meagre 50%.
These stats of his passing are poor by normal standards but then again when we compare his stats to that of Kieran Tierney, Arsenal’s best defender right now, Mark McGuiness is clear of the Scottish defender in almost all boxes. Premier League and League one are not the same obviously, but it gives us a hint that the 20-year old is not that bad after all.
McGuinness bid farewell to his boyhood club through an Instagram post. He wrote in the caption: “What 10 years it has been at Arsenal! I would like to thank everyone involved in the club. Players, staff and supporters. I wish everyone the best of luck I the future. Will always be looking out for the Gunners <3️”
McGuinness is excited to have joined Cardiff City that promises him some decent game time. Speaking to Cardiff City’s official site, he said, “As soon as a Club like Cardiff City were interested I was excited. I just could not miss this opportunity. It is nice to get everything sorted early on. Hopefully, I can meet the boys and get going.”
“My job is always to stop the ball from going into the back of the net. I love heading and I love defending. It is a great opportunity to learn and improve in the next few years at the club.”
