It has been a whirlwind week for Marc Guehi, and it is hard for Liverpool fans to ignore the timing.
Image Credits: Imago Images
It has been a whirlwind week for Marc Guehi, and it is hard for Liverpool fans to ignore the timing.
Liverpool are coming off a damaging 3-2 defeat to Bournemouth.
The injury list is growing. The defence looks stretched.
In the middle of all that, the centre-back Liverpool thought they had wrapped up last summer is already settling in after joining Manchester City.
That is what makes this story hit. Liverpool did not just “like” Guehi. They went deep into it.
The club pushed to land a proven Premier League defender who could start straight away.
The problem is that the market for top centre-backs is brutal.
City, Arsenal and others are always watching. When a deal stalls, someone else is ready to step in.
This is also why Liverpool supporters keep thinking about the fine margins.
One moment you are confident you have fixed a major position.
The next, you are watching that same player wear a rival’s shirt, while your own back line is scrambling for solutions.
Now the details are public, and Guehi’s own words give the clearest picture yet of how close Liverpool came.
He said via the Daily Mail, “The medical was pretty much done, and then it got pulled at the last minute.”
From a Liverpool point of view, that confirms it was not speculation. It was a deal that reached the final stage.
Guehi insists he stayed calm after it collapsed.
He added, “So, yeah, I was quite close (to joining Liverpool). I was OK. Yeah I was OK. My mindset is always move on to the next one.”
“God’s got a plan for me. Just focus on what I could do for Palace.”
He also explained why he refused to force a move.
“I can’t speak on anyone’s behalf or about anyone else’s decision. That’s their life. But getting bought by Palace was such an honour, a blessing, so it would be doing Palace a disservice if I was acting a certain way.”
Then he made his approach even clearer, “The least I could do was show up to work every single day, shut my mouth and keep my head down. I think that’s most important.”
City moved quickly in January, and Guehi has already made an impact.
On Saturday, January 24, 2026, he debuted in a 2-0 win over Wolves, as City kept their first league clean sheet in four games.
He logged 112 touches, completed 95 passes at 93%, made two interceptions, and won three aerial duels.
After the match, Pep Guardiola praised him in plain terms, “He’s the perfect age and the perfect signing… you can see it in two sessions. How he moves, how he talks, how he reads the situations.”
His wider season numbers also show why Liverpool wanted him.
Across the campaign so far, he has 34 appearances, 3 goals, and 3 assists, with a 64% tackle success rate and 54 aerial duels won, plus 7 yellow cards and no reds.
His Palace spell from 2021 to 2026 included 188 appearances, and he captained the club through major moments.
Guehi has now “moved over the line” in Manchester, and he knows what he wants next.
“I’m just glad that I got to move over the line. I’m really confident that this is the place for me to improve, to grow as a player. So I’m glad I could get over the line.”
For Liverpool, the contrast is sharp. Guehi was helping City to a clean sheet.
Liverpool were conceding three at Bournemouth.
With Ibrahima Konate out on compassionate leave and Joe Gomez facing time out with a knee injury, this is exactly the kind of moment that makes the failed deal feel even heavier.
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