Transfer deadline day didn’t turn out quite as Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi expected.
Liverpool were eager to sign Guehi, who led Palace to their first major trophy in May and has become established as a first choice centre-back for England under Thomas Tuchel, and it’s widely understood that he wanted the move.
But while Alexander Isak missed matches in an effort to leave Newcastle United and Yoane Wissa sat out the start of the Premier League season in an attempt to join them, Guehi remained committed.
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Steve Parish explains Guehi decision on deadline day
Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish
Some pundits drew the conclusion that Guehi’s professionalism had cost him a blockbuster transfer he was keen to make but Palace chairman and co-owner Steve Parish has given no indication that a big fuss would have made any difference.
A reported Liverpool bid of £35 million was declined despite Guehi being out of contract next summer. Guehi’s attitude allowed Parish to make the call on a purely economic basis.
Marc Guehi in action for England (Image credit: Getty Images)
“We don’t guess about these things,” Parish told talkSPORT.
“If you look at it rationally, if you look at what is worth the place in the Premier League, the fact that we’re in the Conference League for the first time in our history, this is a fairly unusual set of circumstances in which to keep a player.
“If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th, if that was going to be the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we would have said right, ‘We should take the money.’”
Guehi’s immediate importance to the south London club is obvious and circumstances allowed them to make a bet on their season with the England international in the heart of their defence.
Former Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze (Image credit: Getty Images)
There’s no secret as to the benefit of making a cold choice over a player of Guehi’s ability. Palace started the Premier League season with six matches unbeaten, three of them after deadline day.
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But for a fortuitous late Jack Grealish winner at the Hill Dickinson Stadium last weekend, the Eagles would still be undefeated not only in the league but in all competitions domestically and in their maiden European season.
How Palace approach player trading is a matter of some importance at Selhurst Park. They have become one of the most productive Premier League teams in terms of talent development and have made a virtue of letting effective and beloved players move on for big fees.
Eberechi Eze left for Arsenal with Parish’s blessing in the summer transfer window, following in the footsteps of players like Wilfried Zaha, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Michael Olise in years past.
Guehi’s fate represents a different dimension in Palace’s transfer strategy. They have not sold high, electing instead to let him become available for nothing because it makes sense for football reasons.
As more high-quality players are developed or brought in at Palace, it will be fascinating to see how the club’s on-pitch success and financial status influence similar calculations in the future.
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