Just one day after announcing the signing of Josh Murphy from Norwich, Cardiff City look set to make it two for the summer with the signing of Greg Cunningham.
The Irish international has been a long-term target for Neil Warnock and the Yorkshireman looks as though he’s finally going to get his man.
A fee in the region of £4 million is rumoured to be agreed, with Cunningham pictured in Cardiff undertaking a medical at Nuffield Health.
It’s happening. Sat opposite me down Nuffield health down the bay pic.twitter.com/vCJaTOZGwe
— Carl Riley (@CarlRiley) June 12, 2018
Solid and consistent
One of the key elements of Greg Cunningham’s play is his consistency, regularly producing solid displays.
“Cunningham is the kind of player that will deliver consistent, reliable performances. A very adept defender and a tidy ball-player, he’s got a good all-round game. Cunningham’s a seven out of ten player every week and has become a popular player within the Preston squad and with the fans because of his displays on the field,” Scott told me.
In that regards, he’s very similar to Joe Bennett. A reliable player who will contribute effectively to both attacking and defensive phases of play.
What the stats say
First of all, let’s make one thing clear about statistics. It is impossible to say whether one player is better than another player based solely on statistics. There are a number of factors you must take into account, such as the players around them, the system they play in, luck and much more.
What statistics can give us, however, is an indication of what the player can offer.
Looking initially at Cunningham’s defensive statistics compared to those of Joe Bennett, Cardiff’s current number one left-back, it would appear as though the Irishman is a more aggressive defender.
With 1.22 tackles won per 90 mins compared to Bennett’s 0.83, as well as 2.61 aerial duels won per 90 mins compared to Bennett’s 1.94, it suggests that Cunningham is more aggressive in her pursuit of winning the ball, a trait that would work well in Neil Warnock’s system.
Going forward, Cunningham also edged Bennett when it comes to attacking stats. Last season, he played 10 more forward passed per 90 mins than Joe Bennett. He also created more chances and had a higher pass completion.
It is worth noting, however, that Bennett’s average pass length per 90 mins is higher than Cunningham’s. This is also an indicator of the system both players played in last season. Preston were a side who liked to play possession-oriented football, while Cardiff favoured pumping the ball into the attacking third.
The Preston View
“As a left-back he’s got good defensive discipline, strong in the tackle and a good competitor in the air. He’s strong in possession as well, got a good left foot and is a strong crosser when he gets in the right areas. He’s also built up great experience at Preston, under both Simon Grayson and Alex Neil as well as international caps with Ireland, and will add a calm head to the Cardiff dressing room, which could prove useful if there are testing times in the Premier League next season.
Pace would be something that could be identified as a weakness. Cunningham isn’t a dynamic full-back who will raid up and down the flanks throughout the game. He may also be targeted in that area by pacy Premier League wingers, but will rely on his intelligence and positioning to combat that. He’s also had a couple of serious injuries in the past few seasons and missed a fair number of matches. That could be a potential concern.
It seems to be a reasonable deal for all parties. In a market where fullbacks go for £50 million, it’s a decent deal for Cardiff, who will get a strong, reliable performer for an affordable outlay. It’s a nice amount of money for Preston, who operate on one of the lowest budgets in the Championship, so both will be fairly content.
Preston will miss him greatly. They have a replacement in the squad in Josh Earl, but at 19, he’s raw and didn’t offer the solidity Cunningham did when he played last season. Alex Neil may want to enter the market to replace him. It will come as a big blow to Preston fans to lose a fan favourite and it significantly weakens the squad, removing quality and experience from a very young group of players.”
Scott Hunt is a freelance journalist, often found at Deepdale.