5 hours ago
36
Things got messy for Marc Guehi on deadline day. He had completed the first part of his medical ahead of a proposed move to Liverpool, but Crystal Palace pulled the plug after manager Oliver Glasner got his way in heated discussions with chairman Steve Parish.
Whereas Parish was minded to cash in rather than risk losing Guehi for free next summer, Glasner — whose own contract is also up in a year — feared the consequences of selling such an influential figure. In the end, the Austrian won the internal struggle, and will be able to count on his captain as Palace prepares for a European campaign.
But understandably, reports quickly surfaced that Guehi was left deeply unimpressed by the incident. He was even said to be considering relinquishing the captaincy after an angry showdown meeting with Parish — but the upshot is that he will not be moving to Anfield (yet, anyway), with Arne Slot forced to plan accordingly.
Crystal Palace will be hoping the international break gives everybody a chance to cool off. And after a call-up from Thomas Tuchel, the England camp has also given the first public glimpse into Guehi's mindset.
Tuchel has spoken about the defender's attitude following the collapse of the proposed Liverpool move. The Three Lions boss lifted the lid on a private talk with Guehi: "We had a chat with him and he looks absolutely fine,” said Tuchel, via the Standard. "He looks very impressive on the field.
"He has a couple of very impressive weeks behind him on the sporting side and the performance side. He is the main driver of Crystal Palace’s success.
"He is the captain and the leader. He played very impressively at the end of last season and at the start of this season.
"He continued exactly like this in camp, so it was very impressive. He handles it with respect and with grace, and with a brilliant attitude."
That will be music to the ears of Palace fans, who will be hoping a professional, focused Guehi returns to Selhurst Park. Assuming that is the case, Glasner will ultimately feel justified in digging his heels in.
Of course, Guehi's conduct is in stark contrast to Alexander Isak, who effectively bludgeoned his way out of Newcastle through brute force. Given how the two sagas ended, the narrative will be that it has not been a good summer for the good guys.
That feeling is furthered by the eventual success of Yoane Wissa's attempts to get out of Brentford. On the other hand, that potentially owed more to Newcastle more than doubling its starting bid, shelling out $74 million (£55 million) for a 29-year-old with a year left on his deal (albeit with the option of a one-year extension).
Liverpool had shaken hands on a $47 million (£35 million) deal for Guehi, which would have represented a steal in the circumstances. Though his contract is ticking down, the defender is an important England international, and at 25 is only just starting to hit his peak years.
There seems little doubt that Liverpool will seek to return for Guehi, either in January or at the end of his deal. But the free agency market could attract more competition from abroad, with Barcelona and Real Madrid both mentioned.
In the meantime, Slot's options look a little on the lighter side, especially after Jarell Quansah (another in Tuchel's England camp) was allowed to go to Bayer Leverkusen. But Joe Gomez ultimately stayed put, and Giovanni Leoni joined from Parma.
With any luck, that will be enough for Liverpool to get through to at least January. But even with Guehi having quickly got his head straight by the sounds of Tuchel's assessment, this transfer story is far from over.
English (US) ·