20-year-old Arsenal academy defender Mark McGuinness has been with the Gunners since the age of ten. The dominant 6ft 4” Ireland U21 international secured a loan move to League One promotion-chasing Ipswich Town at the start of the 2020/21 campaign, following a strong display against the Blues in an EFL Trophy game for the Gunners’ U23s. With 17 senior appearances under his belt so far in an Ipswich shirt, we look at whether his short-term stay at Portman Road has worked out both for him and the Suffolk side.
It’s been a mixed bag for both parties
It’s fair to say that, despite gaining valuable League One experience against battle-hardened center-forwards, the loan move hasn’t been quite the success that both sides will have hoped for thus far. The Tractor Boys’ recent 2-1 loss at promotion hopefuls Peterborough United has put yet another dent in Town’s top six aspirations, heaping the pressure on boss Paul Lambert, with most fans demanding that owner Marcus Evans makes a change in manager before their season peters out. Even the local press has demanded his sacking in recent weeks.
Of course, a change of manager can often bring a swift upturn in fortunes – the ‘new manager bounce’ that we all know and love. If a new face could galvanise what is clearly a talented squad, they may still be in with a shout of the playoffs. It would also make their current 16/1 odds for promotion with Paddy Power somewhat juicy. Paddy Power is currently offering one of the best free bet promotions to UK punters, with a £20 risk-free bet. Were you to place it on the Tractor Boys, you’d get a full refund in cash if McGuinness and co. can’t turn their season around.
The development of McGuinness
When the youngster arrived on a season-long loan at Ipswich, most Tractor Boys and Girls expected him to be a dependable back-up for the likes of skipper Luke Chambers at center-half. However, he quickly established himself at the heart of the Town backline, with captain Chambers moving across to right back in the absence of first-choice full-back Kane Vincent-Young through injury. This has meant that McGuinness has largely played alongside another young, developing defender in the shape of Ipswich’s homegrown prospect Luke Woolfenden.
Although Arsenal may have hoped McGuinness would get some game time alongside some more experienced centre-halves, there’s been a reasonable connection between himself and Woolfenden. Both are comfortable on the ball, with McGuinness the more aerially dominant of the two. Veteran Irish left-back Stephen Ward has played alongside McGuinness for most of the season so far. McGuinness has been vocal about how helpful Ward has been in talking and coaxing him through games at times.
His darkest moment in a Town shirt so far came at home to Peterborough, when he sliced an innocuous cross into his own net, gifting Posh all three points in a game where they had zero shots on target. Prior to that, he notched his first senior goal by heading home Ipswich’s winner at lowly Burton Albion, underlining his undoubted potential from attacking set-plays.
Most Town fans would agree there are still raw edges to McGuinness’ game. The Slough-born stopper has often been guilty of ball watching and going too eagerly into challenges, sometimes leaving the rest of the backline exposed. He’s by no means the quickest centre half either, which means he will have to work even harder on honing his positional awareness in the years ahead.
The consensus among Ipswich fans is that while McGuinness has a good career in professional football ahead of him, he lacks the ‘wow factor’ to seriously challenge for a place in Arsenal’s senior squad. It’s not clear when McGuinness’ first professional contract at the Emirates expires, but if Ipswich remains a League One side in 2021/22, they could come knocking for him on a permanent basis in the summer.
