REBELS SPLASH CASH FOR SEAN
CORK City have secured the return of striker Sean Maguire on a ‘multi-year’ contract – just two weeks after manager Tim Clancy complained about the difficulties of signing players in the First Division.
Clancy (inset) also bemoaned the “through the roof” wages being paid in the Premier Division.
Since then, however, the Leesiders finances have been boosted by a €300,000 cheque as part of former player Jake O’brien’s €20m transfer from Lyon to Everton.
And they will receive some money too in the form of training compensation for Jaden Umeh, who last weekend completed his move to Portuguese giants Benfica.
Of course, their history with 11-time capped Ireland striker Maguire also contributed to his return to Turner’s Cross.
Maguire was a key figure during the Leesiders’ epic tussles with Dundalk, when he scored 53 goals across a season and a half, winning a Premier Division title and an FAI Cup.
He moved from Cork to
Preston in the summer of 2017 and scored 24 goals in 170 appearances, while he later moved to Coventry City and Carlisle United.
Maguire scored for Ireland in a November 2019 friendly win over New Zealand.
The 30-year-old said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be coming back to City.
“I had such an amazing spell at the club here before going to Preston and I have always wanted to come back.
“I’ve been speaking with the club over the last few weeks, and I have been really impressed by the plans the club has to build towards getting back to where a club of this size should be.
“There are some really good players at the club, some really exciting young players, and I hope that I can use my experience to help them to achieve their potential.”
Leesiders boss Clancy added: “This is a fantastic signing for us. We are getting a striker with a really impressive pedigree at a very good level, but also someone who knows the club and loves being a part of the Rebel Army.”