Marc Guech is reportedly considering giving up his role as Crystal Palace captain after blocking the club from moving to Liverpool and angering him. Guehi joined Liverpool on the day of transfer deadline after Palace Chairman Steve Parish rejected Oliver Glasner’s wishes and accepted a £35 million bid for the defender. Guehi received medical care in London and was scheduled to fly to Merseyside to join Alexander Isak at Reds.
However, Parish has a last minute change in his heart, halting the relocation after Glasner threatened to resign because he lacked a signed replacement. The palace had arranged for a loan agreement with Igor Giulio with Brighton, but the Brazilian chose West Ham instead. The turbulent situation had a major impact on Guech, who received consistent praise from Glasner for his professionalism amid swirling speculation. The Guardian may release a statement explaining his perspective after reporting his mission with England at St. George’s Park.
The 25-year-old, now the club’s captain, is distraught and could abandon his status as a skipper after being blocked from transfer in the 11th hour. His existing contract with the club is running until June 2026, and it seems highly unlikely that he will expand it.
His departure was so progressive that the palace had already filmed a video of Guehi’s farewell. He featured the net in a 3-0 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday evening, a fixture he thought would mark his final appearance at the palace, but he is now expected to stay at the club after an international break.
Through the Transfer Saga, Glasner has made abundantly clear that he is reluctant to let go of the skipper and most important centre half without securing a replacement. They signed Jaydie Canbot in Toulouse despite linking to Manuel Acandi in Manchester City, Mohammed Solis in Monaco, Jeremy Jacket in Rennes and Julio in Brighton.
Besides managing the outcomes of the dissatisfied captain, the Palace is also facing the prospect of losing Gahee next summer. He is free to enter discussions with overseas clubs during the January transfer period, but Liverpool may choose to revive the pursuit in the New Year as well.
“I can say that clearly and I told the chairman that it had nothing to do with Oliver Glasner, but we need to keep the mark to play a successful season,” Glasner said following Villa’s victory.
“We had a meeting in March and we talked about the situation, so we knew what the situation was going on and there was an agreement that we could sell the mark if there was a proper exchange, and we wanted to become independent of this situation at the beginning of the preseason.
“It was July 9th (the season began) and August 31st, and it is clear that some of the contracts are not met because the building has no replacements.
