Sheffield United exit news won’t shock Cardiff City or Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Mark McGuinness is being touted for a Sheffield United departure, news that fans of his former clubs may not be surprised about

Chris Wilder faces a challenge to trim a bloated Sheffield United squad this summer, and centre-back Mark McGuinness may become a victim of that.

The Blades are about to embark on their first Championship season without Premier League parachute payments since the 2018/19 campaign, so lowering the wage bill and generating funds from player sales will be a necessity, but after a disappointing 13th-placed finish this past season, moving certain low-performing personnel will be a necessity, too.

Already, 10 players have departed Bramall Lane, with six loanees returning to their parent clubs and four contracted players being released at the end of their deals this summer, including, rather surprisingly, Jairo Riedewald.

According to the Sheffield Star, more may be allowed to move on, and McGuinness could become expendable if the right offer comes this summer.

The report states that the Irishman set the Blades back between £4 and £5 million last summer, signing a four-year deal upon arrival. Therefore, Chris Wilder won't want to lose him for a cut-price, but there are understandably questions being asked about the centre-back's involvement in the upcoming rebuild after just 25 league appearances this season.

Ipswich Town and Cardiff City won't be surprised to see Mark McGuinness on the move as Sheffield United prepare for a Premier League push

With a streamlined squad ahead of what many at Bramall Lane expect to be a much-improved season to last, there'll need to be top-quality Championship operators and perhaps some Premier League quality all across the ranks at Sheffield United next season.

Therefore, McGuinness, who just hasn't shown that top-flight quality just yet in his career, may be left by the wayside, and those who watched him at Cardiff City, and especially at Ipswich Town, may not be surprised.

Portman Road was the 25-year-old's first loan destination away from Arsenal, where he'd come through the academy, back in 2020. Funnily enough, he'd captained the Gunners' under-21's side against Ipswich in the EFL Trophy before moving in late September.

He broke into the side the next month, and had a lengthy run in the starting eleven before then spending two months on the sidelines and returning for the final six games of the season as the Tractor Boys finished 9th in League One. All in all, it was a solid, if not unremarkable, loan spell.

After that season, his career took him to the Welsh capital, as Cardiff signed him that summer. At 20-years-old, he was thrust right into the action in the Championship, and the minutes definitely did him good.

But the 2021/22 campaign signalled the start of the Bluebirds' downfall to the point where they'd spend a season in the third tier this past year.

The year before, they finished eighth, whereas in McGuinness' first season, they finished 18th. In an attempt to better that, more seasoned defenders were signed, and the young centre-back was loaned out to League One once more, joining Sheffield Wednesday.

At Hillsborough, McGuinness lost just one of the 17 league games he played as the Owls battled atop the division under Darren Moore. But the situation at his parent club worsened, and he was recalled in January. The Irishman would start their final 19 games, keeping only two clean sheets, with Cardiff only just surviving at the end of it, finishing 21st.

Cardiff City banked £10 million for Mark McGuinness as soon as he started to show high potential

Granted, McGuinness' third season in the Welsh capital was a lot more positive, as he remained at the club for the entire year and at no point were they in any relegation danger. In fact, the centre-back was a mainstay as they flirted around the top six during the first few months of the campaign.

A hamstring injury curtailed that season, though, forcing him to miss a couple of months before returning off the bench on the final day against Rotherham United. As it happened, that was the final league game he'd play for Cardiff.

Recently relegated Luton Town came in for him in the summer of 2024 with a £10 million bid, a figure that, ultimately, Cardiff couldn't turn down, no matter how much promise he was finally starting to show in south Wales.

That would be the sentiment of a lot of Bluebirds fans, who were slightly disappointed but credited the board for getting a good fee. In the end, he couldn't kick on at Kenilworth Road and would contribute to the Hatters' second consecutive relegation last season.

That brings us to where we are now, after Sheffield United once again took a risk in hoping the McGuinness everyone saw in the 2023/24 season could return to Bramall Lane in 2025/26. Unfortunately, it didn't, and now he may be on his way to a third club in as many years.

At 25, there's still that untapped potential in the two-time Ireland international, but it likely won't be realised in South Yorkshire.