Guehi missed out on a summer transferplaceholder image
Guehi missed out on a summer transfer | AFP via Getty Images
Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi may have to be patient to realise his dream of joining an elite team.
Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi endured a nightmare end to the summer transfer window after weeks of speculation surrounding his future. The centre-back was expecting to be sold due to his contract being set to expire next summer.
Guehi has been a superb servant for the Eagles, and he will have hoped that such service would have bought him some leeway when his big opportunity arose. The defender had a medical with Liverpool only for the proposed £35million deal to fall through due to Palace not finding a replacement on time.
Glasner explained just before the deadline: “I told the chairman we have to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season. We have no chance to find the right replacement in one day [before the transfer deadline]. We all agreed that we just sell Marc if we have the right replacement in the building,”
The deal was cancelled despite the South London club being well aware that they needed to find a replacement this summer given Guehi’s contract situation. Even Glasner was critical of the situation, saying before the deadline day events played out: “I told the chairman we have to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season. We have no chance to find the right replacement in one day. We all agreed that we just sell Marc if we have the right replacement in the building.
"We wanted a replacement by 1 July. It is 31 August and we have no replacement. We have this agreement so it is clear from me. He is such a crucial player. He is one of our key players - he is our captain."
There have been reports that Guehi is unhappy with how Palace handled the situation, but being the hard working professional he is, he is likely to get his head down when he returns from international duty. But there is some bad news for the defender in that Liverpool have reportedly decided that they will not make an approach for him in January.
The Evening Standard say the Reds will now pursue a free transfer for Guehi next summer when his contract expires. That does open the door for other clubs to make a move for him in January, and Chelsea may end up coming back to the table given they lost Levi Colwill coming into the season.
England boss Thomas Tuchel said of Guehi during this international window: “We had a chat with him. He looks absolutely fine. Very impressive on the field. He’s the main driver of Palace’s success, captain and the leader. He’s continued this in camp [with England]. He handles it with respect and grace and a brilliant attitude.” It will be interesting to see how Guehi settles back in at Selhurst Park when he returns.
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