Marc Guehi's transfer stance backed as Liverpool warned about $68M risk

Gary Neville has expressed support for Marc Guehi's decision to stay put at Crystal Palace rather than attempting to push through a transfer to Liverpool.

He emphasized that the defender's professionalism will benefit him in the long term, despite denying him a dream move in the short term. Guehi came close to signing for Liverpool this summer, but the move collapsed on deadline day when Palace failed to find a replacement.

The 25-year-old, now in the last year of his Selhurst Park contract, was heavily pursued, with Liverpool leading the charge and agreeing a $47 million transfer before the deal fell apart.

Throughout the uncertainty, Guehi remained committed to Palace, continuing his training and match involvement without any disruption. This stood in stark contrast to players like Alexander Isak and Yoane Wissa, who aggressively pushed for moves from Newcastle and Brentford - and got them.

Many fans and pundits suggested Guehi's professionalism may have cost him the switch to Anfield, implying he should have pressed harder like others had done. Neville, however, strongly rejects this view, praising Guehi's conduct as the proper path to follow.

"There was narrative that was like you're better off being Alexander Isak because you'll get your move, than being Marc Guehi who doesn't," Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast. "But I was thinking no, [because] in the long run, 70 years of your life, it will pay you back."

The Manchester United legend also lauded Guehi's graceful response to questions about the Liverpool saga after England's 5-0 triumph over Serbia on Tuesday. "There was an interview with Marc Guehi. I thought it was brilliant," Neville said.

"I thought the class, the way in which he handled the question around the situation with Liverpool. He had a smile on his face. He was so relaxed. It was just his manner and the way he dealt with it. He didn't antagonize, he didn't come out with anything smart. You can just tell he's a really good guy."

When ITV asked Guehi how the past few days had been for him, he responded with a grin: "It's been great!" Regarding whether joining the national team was easy "after what happened," he said: "It's always easy coming here, such a good group of players, good group of staff. We are all working towards one goal. Really enjoyable. Always good to be here."

Clearly, Guehi has approached the situation with maturity and composure. For Liverpool, however, missing out on Guehi may have significant ramifications. Neville speculated that the Reds could later regret not signing him, given their still-thin back line.

"I wonder if Liverpool will regret [not signing Guehi]," he pondered. "If, say, Konate gets injured, [will they regret] not [offering Palace] like £45M ($60M) or £50M ($68M) and just getting him over the line?"

Jamie Carragher highlighted the issue, saying: "That's the one area where Liverpool [have problems]. It's three games in. Liverpool have got nine points out of nine, not played that well... [centre back] is the one area that could come back and blow up in their face because they haven't really got [quality cover].

"What Guehi was giving Liverpool was competition at centre back. They haven't got that," Carragher added. "They've got two starters and two understudies. Joe Gomez is injury-prone and the young lad who's only 18 and come from Italy [Giovanni Leoni], he's going to be a great prospect. But if you think that one of them had to play for a couple of months, it could be a big [problem]."

Liverpool invested heavily during the summer, spending over $600M, primarily on attacking reinforcements including Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike. Defensively, they added Leoni along with full-backs Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez. Still, their back line has shown early cracks, conceding six goals in their first three fixtures.

Guehi's decision to remain professional may have inadvertently deprived Liverpool of a much-needed defensive boost. Guehi had already completed his medical and could have forced a move once Palace failed to replace him, especially after Igor Julio's transfer to West Ham scuppered Palace's plans.

Other players have taken more confrontational approaches to secure transfers. For instance, Nicolas Jackson refused to return to Chelsea when his loan to Bayern Munich initially fell through, forcing the club to recall Marc Guiu from Sunderland, which ultimately allowed Jackson to move to Germany.

Alexander Isak took an even more extreme approach, skipping Newcastle's pre-season and reportedly vowing not to play again to secure his move. By contrast, Guehi maintained his professionalism, and for Liverpool, this might be costly in the short term.

However, if the champions manage to sign him as a free agent next year, they will be acquiring a player of exceptional character. Such consistency, integrity, and dedication may ultimately make the wait worthwhile, proving Guehi's long-term value extends beyond immediate transfers.