This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Terrace Talk’ series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Luton Town have been urged to re-evaluate their reported transfer interest in Cardiff City centre-back Mark McGuinness due to the potential fee that has been mooted to prise him from the Welsh capital.
McGuinness has been with the Bluebirds since joining from boyhood club Arsenal in 2021, but could seal a move away this summer after impressing last campaign under Erol Bulut.
The 23-year-old has recently been linked with a move to newly-relegated Luton by WalesOnline, and they report that Cardiff want “£10 million-plus” for his services this summer.
The Hatters are looking to bolster their defensive options before the transfer window closes on August 30, due to a raft of injuries that have decimated Rob Edwards’ backline in the post-season, as well as Gabriel Osho turning down a new deal to join Auxerre of France.
It remains to be seen whether they will seriously pursue McGuinness as an option going into the closing stages of the summer, as they will seemingly have to fork out an eight-figure fee if they wish to do so.
Luton Town told to look elsewhere amid Mark McGuinness interest
McGuinness is a solid Championship centre-back, and it seems as if Cardiff are not willing to part with him this summer unless they get a fee that represents his value to their team.
| Mark McGuinness’ Cardiff City 2023/24 Championship Stats | |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 30 |
| Goals | 2 |
| Aerials won % | 68.5% |
| Interceptions per 90 | 1.32 |
| Clearances per 90 | 4.26 |
| Pass accuracy % | 85.3% |
| Stats as per FBref | |
Luton are not a club known for splashing cash on players, and Cardiff’s rumoured valuation would break their transfer record with ease, so it does seem unlikely that a move will happen if they stick to their price tag.
FLW’s Hatters fan pundit Jamie Castle believes that the rumoured fee wanted is too much for Luton to think about spending on McGuinness, and it would be a shock if they were to go through with the deal at that price.
“Clearly he is seen as one of the better players of what was a fairly frail Cardiff City defence last season,” James said when speaking to Football League World.
“A defender is certainly someone that Luton need, given the current injuries to Reece Burke, Mads Andersen and Amari’i Bell.
“We’ve lost Gabe Osho too, but signed Reuell Walters, who, early on, looks like a very good pick-up, but will need time to grow into the season.
“On Mark McGuinness, I think he would certainly add a lot of value to our backline and would probably come into the team straight away.
“Personally, I think the £10 million fee being mentioned right now is very high, and I would be surprised if we spent that on a player like him, given other candidates that may be out there and ones that have gone elsewhere so far this summer.
“Callum Doyle has just joined Norwich, for example, and Harry Souttar is due to move to Sheffield United on loan, so I would be surprised if we spent that sort of sum on a player like McGuinness.
“Maybe if it was more around the £5 million price range then it would make more sense, because he is still at a good age at 24, so certainly has room to grow.
“I think at this point I’d be very surprised if he came in for the sort of money that is being talked about.”
Luton Town should move on to other centre-back targets amid Mark McGuinness price-tag
McGuinness would be a smart signing for the Hatters if the price is right, but it certainly does seem doubtful that he will move to Kenilworth Road if it takes over £10m to acquire his services.
Instead, Rob Edwards and co could move onto looking at other realistic targets that fit the way he wants to play as Luton target an immediate bounce back to the Premier League.
Edwards is currently lacking in defence, particularly at centre-back, as the Hatters head into their Championship curtain-raiser against Burnley on August 12 with Amari’i Bell, Reece Burke and Mads Andersen all injured, and Tom Lockyer still continuing his recovery away from football.
That leaves just Tom Holmes and Teden Mengi as his current senior options at the heart of defence, while Reuell Walters can fill in if needed, but he needs new faces fast if he is to properly shore up his backline.
Any potential hold-up over McGuinness’ fee will not be welcomed, and Edwards will not want to get embroiled in a back and forth over what each club values him at, as he looks to act quickly before the season is fully underway.
With that said, he may turn his attention to different players that are set to be more readily available, and could even look to the loan market for the first time so far this summer.
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