According to Bristol Live, Bristol City are on the verge of signing Oxford United midfielder Marcus McGuane, whilst Taylor Gardner-Hickman is in talks with League One outfit Birmingham City.
As originally reported by the Telegraph reporter Mike McGrath, McGuane is set to have a reunion with former boss Liam Manning, as his move to the Robins looks ever closer. McGuane played regularly under Manning but has since fallen out of favour at the Kassam under new manager Des Buckingham.
The now 25-year-old was a part of Arsenal’s academy, before moving to Spanish giants Barcelona when he was only 18. His time in Spain didn’t work out, and he moved back to England to join Nottingham Forest in 2020. His time at Forest didn’t work out either, with McGuane failing to register a single appearance in Nottinghamshire. He joined Oxford initially on loan, but the U’s made this move permanent in the summer of 2021. Since then, he has made over 150 appearances in all competitions for Oxford. However, his time looks to be up in Oxfordshire, even though his one-year contract clause was activated after promotion to the Championship.
With Manning at the helm, Championship rivals Bristol City now look set to snap the 25-year-old up before the deadline shuts next Friday.
Gardner-Hickman only joined the Robins permanently last January from West Bromwich Albion, with the 22-year-old now looking like he’s on his way out of Ashton Gate. League One outfit Birmingham are reportedly interested, with the club looking to strengthen in order to return to the second tier of English football.
With the addition of McGaune, City have Joe Williams, Max Bird, Jason Knight, loanee George Earthy and Scott Twine already players who can play in the middle of the park, and with Gardner-Hickmans recent uninspiring performances, it’s no wonder he is willing to make the step-down. Reportedly, Bristol City were not looking to change players in the middle of the park, but Birmingham’s serious interest has enabled McGuane a reunion with his former boss.
When speaking to Bristol Live earlier this week, Manning stated
“Possibly, you never know in this transfer window. You’re thrown all sorts of curveballs and changes and so on. At the minute, we’ll just have to wait and see. It’s more a case of if there’s anyone who we really think will enhance what we’re doing, someone’s who’s going to impact us in the short or the medium term, then we’ll work hard to try and do what’s best for the club and the team. But, at the minute, if the window was shut tomorrow then the squad’s in a good spot. But it’s all about raising the bar, pushing higher standards all around and increasing the levels which we want to continue doing.
“Possibly, but again I wouldn’t say there’s anything definite at the minute, it’ll be a case of wait and see.”
Writer’s View
Whilst perhaps McGaune’s move was to be expected, even after the U’s activated a further year on his contract, it comes as a shock to see Gardner-Hickman leave after just six months with the club. There’s no indication of whether or not it’ll be a permanent move or a loan move, but a permanent move away will shock many.
For Birmingham, Gardner-Hickman may prove to be another good pick-up, and with their squad already stacked, it will be a surprise if they haven’t run away with the league come the end of the season. Their new owners have invested ridiculous amounts of money for a League One club, with the potential signing of the 22-year-old backing this up. From Oxford’s perspective, a move for both seems to be good business. Oxford will get to cash in on one of their players as they look to further invest, and Bristol City alongside Liam Manning will understand exactly what player they are getting. With the newly promoted side mainly bringing in players, this is an opportunity to get a player they don’t view as important off the wage bill for a fee.
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