Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed Marc Guehi will remain at Selhurst Park this summer.
Guehi, 24, had been the subject of heavy interest from Newcastle United, with the Magpies having seen four bids rejected for the England international. A fee of £70million had been mooted as the required total Crystal Palace were holding out for, with the two clubs locked in negotiations for months.
In what has been a frustrating window for Eddie Howe's side, the acquisition of a top-level centre-back had been viewed as a no-brainer by the hierarchy at the club. Long-term injuries to Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles last term halted Newcastle's on-field progress and it looks as though they may have to look elsewhere in terms of another incoming.
WATCH | Why Newcastle United Wanted Marc Guehi SO Badly
“I was never really in doubt”, Palace boss Glasner explained when quizzed on the ongoing saga been Guehi and his links with the Magpies. “Congratulations to Crystal Palace, to the chairman and our owners because they didn’t give up. Especially after the transfer of Joachim Andersen because it was very important Marc stays.”
Guehi joined the club from Chelsea back in 2021 and is under contract with the Eagles until the summer of 2026. Transfermarkt values the Cobham academy graduate at €38 million (£32 million) and his performances with England at Euro 2024 this summer have only further increased his market value.
“Thank you to Marc, we were always very close and talked a lot and the rumours didn’t influence his performance," added Glasner today. “He’s not pushing to leave Crystal Palace, that was for me the most important thing. That the players like to place for Crystal Palace, for the team here. Marc told me that very often.
“Sometimes people act in the opposite way, Marc told me [his intention] and [he] acted in the same way. He showed his fantastic character again. Marc stays at Crystal Palace and stays our captain.”
FourFourTwo admits, in a summer that saw Michael Olise, Joachim Andersen and Sam Johnstone leave the club, keeping hold of Guehi could be their biggest addition overall. As for Newcastle, their quest for a new defender goes on in what can only be described as a poor window. Perhaps they should have walked away sooner but put all their eggs in one basket and will probably miss out on the area that needs the most improving.
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