“They should definitely explore it” – Sheffield Wednesday and a potential Mark McGuinness transfer: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It’s fair to say a lot of people involved at Sheffield Wednesday would have been disappointed to see Mark McGuinness be recalled by Cardiff in January.

The centre-back cemented himself as a real fan favourite at Hillsborough during his time on loan at the club and were unfortunate to see him depart back to south Wales.

However, with the summer transfer window looming and the Owls looking set for a return to the second tier, attention will turn to recruitment and who they can bring in to enhance their squad.

One man who could be on the Owls’ summer wish-list is Mark McGuinness.

So, with this in mind, should Sheffield Wednesday make a strong play to sign Mark McGuinness this summer from Cardiff or eye alternatives?

Alfie Burns

McGuinness was outstanding for the Owls earlier in the season and it wasn’t a shock at all that he was recalled by Cardiff in January.

The general feeling on the back of that loan move was that McGuinness was well below his level in League One. If anything, he has Premier League quality.

With that in mind, you’d think that Wednesday will try to explore the possibility of bringing the centre-back into the club again if they win promotion.

Cardiff, naturally, won’t want to lose him – particularly on the cheap. Money will talk for Wednesday and it’ll be interesting to see their financial position come the summer.

If the deal is there to be done, at the right price, you’d expect Wednesday to move. There’s a lot of falling into place to be done, though.

George Dagless

I think there’s a good case to try and get him but whether or not they are successful remains to be seen.

He did a decent job at Wednesday and is now back at Cardiff where he has been playing regularly, which suggests to me that the Bluebirds might be looking to potentially keep him in the summer.

It could all depend on which division both sides are in next season, as McGuinness will obviously be wanting to play at as high a level as possible and potentially the Owls will be above Cardiff in the EFL pyramid.

Time will tell, but I do think the Owls should try and get him, though I don’t think it will be easy.

Sam Rourke

They should definitely explore it.

McGuinness enjoyed an incredibly fruitful time at the Owls this season, winning back-to-back player of the month awards and becoming a key component in Darren Moore’s Wednesday side.

The 22-year-old became a real fan favourite at Hillsborough and you’d imagine Owls fans would love to see him return to the club on a permanent basis.

Obviously he was recalled by his parent club Cardiff City in January so that suggests that they won’t be wanting to let go of him anytime soon, and since his return to south Wales he’s become a consistent fixture in the Bluebirds’ backline.

A lot here will depend on what division each team finds themselves in, Cardiff are firmly in a relegation battle in the Championship whilst the Owls are primed for promotion from League One back to the second tier.

But ultimately I do think McGuinness is a player that the Owls recruitment team should strongly have on their radar and if the opportunity did arise to sign him, they should not think twice.

The ball does firmly lay in Cardiff’s court though.