Marc Guehi, the captain of Crystal Palace and a standout defender in the Premier League, is generating significant interest this summer. He has only grown in importance to his club and the England national team. As he weighs lucrative moves to established giants such as Liverpool and Arsenal, speculation about his future is intensifying.
Guehi trained in Chelsea’s academy under current Rangers manager Michael Beale. Since coming over to join Crystal Palace, he’s made his mark with his remarkable play on the field. His form has brought him acclaim as one of the top young defenders in the league. The Eagles are in a tough spot contract-wise. Lest they lose him for nothing next summer, they could be forced to sell him in the coming weeks.
Performance Highlights
Though only 23, Guehi’s influence at Crystal Palace has been immense. He’s always at or near the very top of defenders in key stats, like assists per 90 minutes. Last season he had the 19th most headed clearances in the league. A real standout area of his defense was winning aerial duels, again showing off his defensive prowess.
Guehi’s strength goes beyond his defensive prowess to his ability to keep cool under pressure. He’s got a real good sense for reading the game. He has previously been lauded for being “an astute reader of play” and an “incisive passer out from the back.” These skills are a bedrock to his defensive assignments, but allow the midfield group—including Revs No. 22—to quickly transition into attack.
Michael Beale praised Guehi’s aggressive style, stating, “You see how aggressive he is ‘locking down’ and stealing possession.” This aggression further enhances his on-field captaincy role, where he too often leads by example.
Leadership and International Recognition
As the captain of Crystal Palace, Guehi has shown incredible leadership abilities. His ability to communicate with his defense, as well as his unrelenting drive to motivate his teammates has been apparent during club and international competitions. He’s gone on to establish himself as a key player in Thomas Tuchel’s England regulars, solidifying his status as the man to take him there even more.
Guehi’s influence goes deeper than just showing up. He was arguably his team’s most influential player in all the key defensive metrics last season. He led all his teammates with touches, passes attempted and completed. He finished with the ninth most possessions won in the defensive third in the entire league. This is a perfect example of his massive impact on both sides of the pitch.
Guehi’s technical skills, a product of his youth academy upbringing at Chelsea, have been praised by Michael Beale, emphasizing his versatility. “His reading of the game and his athleticism gets him a yard on his centre-forward,” Beale remarked. “He shows a huge amount of confidence to play on the left side, and his technical upbringing from Chelsea means he can use his left foot, albeit he is dominant on his right foot.”
Transfer Speculations
Because of Guehi’s incredible breakthrough campaign and noticeable potential, other big sides like Liverpool and Arsenal are now looking to raid Palace for his signature. Both teams currently have established centre-back pairings: William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes for Arsenal. That might go some way to explaining why they’ve apparently dithered over a bid for Guehi, who’d add youth and dynamism to any defensive unit he’d join.
THG’s transfer speculations about Guehi are further fueled by the fact that he currently has a problematic contract situation at Crystal Palace. Uncertainty continues to hang over an extension for the captain. The club will likely be tempted to cash in on him at this point, rather than risk losing him when his contract runs out next summer.
With talk of big-money moves not going away any time soon, Guehi’s future is far from settled. How he performs this season will likely determine his loyalty to Crystal Palace. He may simply prefer to pursue new opportunities with elite clubs.
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