How Marc Guehi truly feels after Crystal Palace pulled the plug on £35m Liverpool transfer
Liverpool were denied a move for Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi when the deal collapsed in the final hours of transfer deadline day.
Arne Slot looked to be set to welcome a new central defender when Liverpool agreed a £35million deal to sign Guehi on Monday.
The Dutchman had been hoping to add another defender to his options, after Ibrahima Konate was forced off injured against Arsenal on Sunday.
Guehi had even been pictured in a Liverpool kit ahead of the move, with Palace also preparing a video to say farewell to their club captain.
But in the final hours of the window, Liverpool’s move for Guehi fell apart after West Ham hijacked Palace’s loan deal for Julio Igor.
Marc Guehi ‘extremely unhappy’ with Liverpool move collapse
Liverpool signed Giovanni Leoni from Parma earlier in the summer, but the young defender is not expected to be thrown straight into the Premier League.
Slot’s hand may be forced, however, if the injury problems suffered in recent seasons by Konate and Joe Gomez reappear.
Guehi’s arrival would have solved that problem, with the defender’s experience at Premier League and international level making him the perfect candidate to step in.
| Liverpool – Central defenders |
| Virgil van Dijk |
| Ibrahima Konate |
| Joe Gomez |
| Giovanni Leoni |
Liverpool will be forced to go without until at least January, however, with the hope being that Konate and Gomez can avoid further injuries.
Ed Aarons reported on Tuesday, 2 September, that Guehi is ‘extremely unhappy’ with Palace’s decision to pull the plug on his move.
The defender is expected to release a statement, and is considering giving up his captaincy at the South London club.
Liverpool could rue Marc Guehi transfer saga
There is no doubting that Liverpool were powerless to intervene when Palace decided to stop Guehi’s move at the final hour – but should it have even got there?
The Reds were well aware that the England international was available this summer, even entering negotiations many weeks ago.
By leaving it to the final hours, Liverpool forced Palace into a corner that saw them accept a lower fee, but they also left themselves vulnerable to the events that ultimately followed.
Decision-makers at Anfield have shown incredible nous in the transfer market this summer, but this may have been a misjudgement that could well bite Slot’s side later in the season.
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