Newcastle vs Liverpool: Who Will Marc Guèhi Choose?
Marc Guèhi has been playing for Crystal Palace since July 2021, but his time at the club may be coming to a swift end. The 25 year old defender from the Ivory Coast has had an accomplished soccer career thus far. Guèhi began his soccer career with the youth division of Chelsea. Guèhi had a prominent role in the youth team’s success. Before joining Crystal Palace, he was briefly with Swansea City. Once reaching Crystal Palace, his strong performances have helped him land the position of captain. Now that Guèhi’s contract is coming closer to its end, other clubs are debating whether they want him.
Newcastle does not want to pay more than £40 million for the England player. There are other teams, such as Liverpool, that are interested in acquiring Guèhi. However, they are also not interested in paying the £50 million due to him being in the last year of his contract. They may be deciding to wait till the last minute to acquire him at the lowest price possible.
Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe wants to add “quality and quantity” to his team, which is why he is interested in Guèhi. Interestingly enough, Newcastle has tried various times over the past year to acquire Guèhi. However, Guèhi has stayed put at Crystal Palace, even becoming the captain of the squad, which raises the question of why Guèhi would leave Crystal Palace, where he is captain and knows that he will be able to play in each game for at least one more year. He may decide to prolong the inevitable because either way, it benefits him. According to the Bosman ruling, players are allowed to transfer for free at the end of their contracts. Guèhi would be able to bargain for higher wages at whichever club he chooses.
There are still discussions on whether Liverpool is a contender for Guèhi. Even though the price requested by Crystal Palace unsettles both teams, they must quickly decide before September 1st. If they take too long, they will have to wait until Guèhi’s contract expires, at which point he will have more bargaining power. Should Crystal Palace lower their price so that Newcastle and Liverpool take action before Marc loses complete value?
