Crystal Palace head coach Oliver Glasner allegedly took drastic action to ensure that Marc Guehi's deadline-day move to Liverpool would not go through.
The Eagles had accepted a £35m offer from the Premier League champions for the England defender, who also agreed terms with the Reds and completed part of his medical.
However, head coach Glasner was insistent on keeping Guehi unless a suitable replacement was signed, and Crystal Palace appeared to have found one in Brighton & Hove Albion's Igor Julio.
A proposed move for the Brazilian fell through, though, as West Ham United hijacked Palace's swoop for Igor and confirmed his arrival on loan late into the night.
The FA Cup winners still managed to add 19-year-old Jaydee Canvot to their ranks from Toulouse, but with Igor heading for the London Stadium, Glasner supposedly threatened seismic action if Guehi was sold.
Glasner 'threatened to quit' Palace if Guehi went to Liverpool
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner pictured on April 20, 2025
According to The Mirror, the Austrian warned Palace chiefs that he would be ready to quit if Guehi joined Arne Slot's side, and he eventually 'outplayed' club chairman Steve Parish.
The latter was OK with selling Guehi to Liverpool given that the 25-year-old's contract expires at the end of the season, and a £35m cheque would have still seen Palace make a profit on the £20.2m they paid to sign him from Chelsea in 2021.
However, Parish eventually had to pull the plug on a deal due to Glasner's stance, which was 'further exacerbated' by the fact that Erik ten Hag was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen on Monday, leaving Palace fearful of a return to the Bundesliga for their head coach.
In order to show Glasner - who won the Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt in 2022 - just how much he is valued, and out of slight fear of the Austrian immediately being poached by Leverkusen, Palace granted him his Guehi wish.
The captain and head coach are understood to have discussed the matter on deadline day, where Guehi reiterated his desire to sign for Liverpool but insisted that he would not throw his toys out of the pram if not granted his wish.
Guehi to Liverpool transfer: Delayed or dead?
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace during his side's match against Aston Villa, on August 31, 2025
Had Guehi done an Alexander Isak or Yoane Wissa - refusing to train and publicly starting his desire to leave the club - who knows where he might be playing his football right now.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but for now, the former Chelsea youngster will continue to wear the Palace armband with pride, albeit maybe for just a few more months.
According to journalist James Pearce, Guehi's dream move is only 'delayed' as opposed to 'wrecked', and the expectation is that the England international will become a Liverpool player at some point in 2026.
As he is showing no intention of signing a new contract, Liverpool could try to strike a deal on the cheap in January, or wait until he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, when Ibrahima Konate is expected to depart.
While their pursuit of Guehi fell through, Liverpool completed the long-awaited signing of £125m striker Isak, who recently spoke for the first time as a Reds playerfollowing his record-breaking move.
ID:580633:1false2false3false: from db desktop :LenBod:collect5361: