Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Manchester City have just become an even stronger outfit.
On Monday, they confirmed the signing of Marc Guehi from Chelsea’s London rivals Crystal Palace.
Guehi had been linked with a return to Chelsea, but the 25-year-old, who is widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in the Premier League, has ended up at City.
JUDGEMENT TIME: Did Chelsea make a mistake not signing Marc Guehi?😬
Enzo Maresca rejected the chance to sign Marc Guehi at Chelsea
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Based on some of his recent comments, Guehi does not seem too fond of his former club.
Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace
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Marc Guehi claims Chelsea fans were quiet despite beating Crystal Palace in 2021
Chelsea sold Guehi to Palace more than four years ago and his first match for the Eagles was actually against his ex-side.
That day, Chelsea won 3-0, but Guehi has claimed that he did not hear their supporters at all during the game.
In his farewell message on Palace’s official club website, the England international said: “When I got transferred to the Football Club and played my first game against Chelsea, we lost 3-0. It wasn’t a great day, but there was only one fanbase singing that day, knowing full well what the score was, knowing full well what the result was.”
While Guehi will not be heading to Stamford Bridge this month, Chelsea could still end up signing a centre-back before the transfer window closes.
Chelsea are interested in Rennes’ Jeremy Jacquet, though many Blues fans would have preferred Guehi. The former Chelsea academy player has much more experience and is already familiar with the Premier League.
IMAGINE: You have the final say on Chelsea’s three-man centre-back shortlist. Who will you pick?
The three centre-back targets under consideration at Chelsea:
Jeremy Jacquet
Jacobo Ramon
Marcos Senesi
Đorđe Petrović and Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth
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Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace during the Premier League match between Newcastle United and Crystal Palace
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Why Marc Guehi left Chelsea
There will be regret at Chelsea that Guehi was sold in the first place, but he wanted first-team football, which Thomas Tuchel could not guarantee him.
The German had Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Trevoh Chalobah all at his disposal.
Speaking about his Chelsea exit in 2021, Guehi said via Goal: “I felt like it was the right decision for me to move to Palace. I wanted to play regular football at a high level in the Premier League and test myself to see how far I can go.”
It will now be interesting to see what kind of reception Guehi gets when he returns to Stamford Bridge later this season.
Pep Guardiola’s men travel to west London in April to take on Liam Rosenior’s side. Again, with Guehi being one of the top centre-halves in the country, it is a game that you would expect him to start if he is available.
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