Aside from Alexander Isak and Gianluigi Donnarumma, it was Marc Guehi’s failed move to Liverpool which caused the most drama yesterday on deadline day, and with pressure boiling over between Crystal Palace and club captain Marc Guehi, tempers are beginning to flare, and after being only a signature away from signing for league champions Liverpool, Marc Guehi’s relationship and future at the club looks bleak, and may come back to bite Palace even harder in the next coming months.
Guehi was a player who was totally expected to make an exit from Crystal Palace this summer, and it seemed like Arne Slot’s Liverpool was the only destination. And after a whole lot of negotiations, a 35 million euro deal was put in place, the medical was completed, and all documents were signed, but following Palace’s deal for Brighton centre half Igor collapsed, Guehi’s dream move was blocked, and his feelings remain cold towards his boyhood club.
Unlike many this transfer window such as Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa, Guehi acted in the right way, and was loyal to Palace all the way throughout transfer negotiations with Liverpool, even scoring on Sunday in their 3-0 defeat against Aston Villa. However, despite showing respect and decorum to Palace by continuing to play regardless of his inevitable move, Guehi now believes the club acted poorly and disrespectfully by denying his move late on in the window.
The news of the deal broke down following Oliver Glasner’s threat to walk away from the club due to the lack of replacement options for Palace during a late stage of the window, ultimately leading to the blocking of Guehi’s move, but after it was revealed that this was the case, relationships between the manager and player are bound to be cold, and this whole situation could come back to bite them even more.
With multiple options on the table now for Guehi following this tiring saga, one option which would send a strong message would be to take the Isak route, sitting out and forcing a January move. Not only would this be a tough break for Glasner by deteriorating their relationship completely, but for Palace it would mean a player they so dearly love had been driven to take drastic measures, and come the winter transfer window, they could even see a massive transfer fee decrease, and therefore have no choice but to sell. Although, with it being a crucial year for Guehi himself with the upcoming World Cup, he most likely will continue to play, but will be dependent on a winter move to Merseyside.
It is easy to understand why the breakdown in the deal was important for Palace with the European campaign coming up, but with how they dealt with the deal overall, it could bring up some awful consequences. Guehi simply wont return to the team with the same respect and feeling, and will probably have his sights simply set on leaving as soon as possible. Whether it is in January for a bargain fee, or whether he leaves next summer for free, Crystal Palace have made a really messy and poor decision, and this late transfer blunder could cause some major internal issues going forward.
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