Nothing, it appeared, grew to become fairly like his leaving. On the final day of August, he scored a . This, it appeared, was his parting reward to . He was off to .
Besides he wasn’t. 4 and a half months on, some 27 appearances later, and a payment that’s £15m much less, his departure hasand might carry . ’s evident unhappiness on the lack of his captain threatens to carry his reign
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It was an indication is giving strategy to a extra unsure 2026. A switch triangle can a minimum of supply a reminder of historic feats. Palace have gained two main trophies of their historical past. Guehi lifted each, in the identical summer time, after Wembley triumphs over and Liverpool. They grew to become his two principal suitors; his vacation spot was virtually Anfield at the beginning of September, till on the transfer. Now it’s the Etihad Stadium as an alternative.
The Guehi deal that wasn’t, at the beginning of September, didn’t cease many anointing Liverpool because the winners of the switch window. It was overshadowed by , in any case. Even earlier than then, Guehi formed up because the anti-Isak, the person who didn’t go on strike to power a transfer. His reward got here with a presumably profitable mid-season transfer, after taking part in effectively. There was one other method.
And, in the end, one other final result for Liverpool. The preliminary noises from Anfield, after that £35m deal broke down, had been that Guehi remained of curiosity however {that a} January buy was unlikely. Liverpool didn’t bid when Metropolis acquired their man for £20m.
Marc Guehi ultimately made the transfer to the opposite finish of the East Lancs Street, moderately than Liverpool (Manchester Metropolis FC)
However the notion at Anfield is that just one membership may afford that deal: briefly, that, by getting into the previous few months of his time at Palace, Guehi was entitled to ask for the form of wage and signing-on payment a free switch may command, however when Metropolis had been additionally paying for the switch as effectively.
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But it’s value pondering whether or not there was not only one miscalculation however a number of, by a Liverpool hierarchy of Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards with a fame for transfer-market experience. By leaving the Guehi deal to the final day of the summer time window, it meant they’d no recourse when it broke down. It additionally created a scenario the place it was too late for Palace to get a alternative that suited Glasner.
Guehi performed a starring function as Palace gained the FA Cup final season (PA Archive)
Maybe Liverpool underestimated how a lot they required Guehi. They had been undeniably unlucky that Giovanni Leoni’s seemingly encouraging debut as an alternative resulted . But the sense final season was that was not Joe Gomez’s best admirer, and it’s no secret Liverpool’s longest-serving participant is injury-prone.
A consequence this season has been that Ibrahima Konate has been ever current within the Premier League, although his errors have been too frequent – Slot commented that he was an excessive amount of on the scene of the crime – and his performances combined.
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Perhaps Liverpool had operated on the precept they might wait till subsequent summer time and get a free run at Guehi; he was, in any case, prepared to affix them. But that was to miss his enchantment to others. Perhaps Liverpool had been relying on bringing in £35m from Aston Villa for Harvey Elliott, which not appears possible. However now the sense is that Liverpool spent £450m in the summertime and nonetheless left gaps of their squad: with Konate out of contract on the finish of the season, the defence is in a state of flux.
That stated, there have been all the time questions over the place Guehi would have fitted in at Anfield. Like Virgil van Dijk, he’s a right-footed, left-sided centre-back.
There have been questions over how Virgil van Dijk and Marc Guehi may have performed collectively at Liverpool (Getty)
In the meantime, there’s a logical spot at Metropolis, even when it includes a reshuffle. There had been the sense that Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol had been a centre-back partnership for the foreseeable future; now, every is injured, however when match, the Croatian may revert to left-back. That might in flip counsel that whereas Nico O’Reilly has been a revelation as an unconventional left-back and has signed a contract to 2030, Metropolis might not see him because the long-term possibility there. It actually appears to bode badly for John Stones, out of contract in the summertime, with Pep Guardiola suggesting
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And but Metropolis’s view is that Guehi is just not a short-termist signing, not a response to 2 accidents. They’ve preferred the England worldwide for years. They see it as merely bringing ahead their summer time enterprise by a number of months. It’s nonetheless a second Liverpool goal to affix them; by each Chelsea and Manchester United, but Metropolis have proof of pulling energy.
And of funds. A brand new-look crew is taking form, at appreciable pace and appreciable price. Metropolis have made 13 signings in little over a 12 months, at a mixed value of round £430m, with a internet spend of round £370m. They may level to sizeable transfer-market income in 2024 and a few savvy gross sales and sell-on clauses as a supply of funding;
Metropolis may argue {that a} £20m payment, like the costs paid for Rayan Cherki and Gianluigi Donnarumma, appears low-cost. They may really feel that it’s doubly so if there’s a knock-on price to Liverpool. In getting the defender they needed, they could have ripped up their rivals’ plan.