January 20 2025

Marc Guehi

Crystal Palace were dealt a huge blow when Chelsea decided to exercise their recall option for centre-back Trevoh Chalobah, writes Peter Griffiths.

While Palace still have central defenders on their books, with manager Oliver Glasner setting the team up with a back three, it’s vital there are no further departures from the unit, and it’s especially the case with Marc Guehi.

Guehi, 24, is Palace’s best defender and their stalwart at the back. His rise to prominence after swapping Chelsea for Palace in 2021 has been notable, and now, as an established England international, he’s been on the transfer target lists of the Premier League’s top clubs.

But Palace, who are one of the teams who were expected to struggle this season according to football betting online, can’t afford to lose him, regardless of the money being offered.

Former club Chelsea and Liverpool are two Premier League teams that have been linked with a serious interest in acquiring Guehi’s services. While Chelsea are still thought to be in the market for a centre-back, even after recalling Chalobah, Liverpool are likely to wait until the summer to address the position, and they may favour a left-footer, even though Guehi is comfortable playing as a left centre-back.

If Guehi were to depart, it would mean Glasner would only have Maxence Lacroix, Chadi Riad, and Chris Richards to choose from as natural centre-backs. Rob Holding, currently on the books at Selhurst Park, has been told he has no future at the club. The reality is Palace need to add a centre back to fill the void created by Chalobah’s departure rather than expand the void further.

But losing Guehi would be a case of losing more than just another centre-back. The Eagles would be losing a leader and one of their most consistent performers. While Palace have been linked with moves for central defenders such as Nasser Djiga and Ousmane Diao, it’s been reported there’s a determination to keep the current unit together and as it is, which ultimately means rebuffing any bids that come in for Guehi before the window closes.

Guehi, who enters the final year of his deal with Palace this summer, is thought to have been slapped with a huge £70 million price tag to put clubs off making a move for him in the current window. But it’s likely the club will be more willing to do business when the season ends, knowing his value will quickly depreciate as his contract edges towards its finish.

This would also support the claims that Guehi would rather wait for a move to Liverpool after a switch to Newcastle failed to materialise last summer. Palace will also have to take into account the sell-on clause Chelsea have in any deal that sees Guehi sold. But for now, the focus must be on keeping Guehi, at least for the rest of the season, with the Eagles now looking like they will stay clear of a relegation battle.