Beat competition from Liverpool & Arsenal 

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Liverpool came agonisingly close to signing Crystal Palace centre-back and captain Marc Guéhi on deadline day of the summer transfer window, but with the Eagles unable to find an adequate replacement, the deal fell through. Six months on, and with the Englishman’s Palace contract set to expire this June, Manchester City have now won the race for the 25 year old. The deal was confirmed this Monday with Guéhi himself saying in a club statement: ““I am really happy and incredibly proud to be a Manchester City player. This move feels like the culmination of all the hard work I have put into my career. I am now at the best club in England and part of an unbelievable squad of players.”

The fee is expected to be in the region of €23 million plus around €11.6m in bonuses as well as a sell-on clause. Guéhi is expected to sign a contract until 2031. Pep Guardiola’s side do have an embarrassment of riches in the centre-half position, but recently lost both Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to long-term injuries. John Stones has also had fitness issues throughout the season. As things stand, the only senior centre-halves available are Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Aké. Both Liverpool and Arsenal had shown serious interest, whilst foreign clubs such as Barcelona and Bayern Munich had also been in the mix. But most of those clubs would have rather signed Guéhi on a free transfer in the summer.

Was Manchester City the right move for Marc Guéhi?

Not many players had as many widespread options of big clubs after them than Guéhi did, and at 25 years old, that next move may be pivotal to the success and legacy of his career. Last season, the top three in the Premier League were Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City and you could make arguments that each of them could have been the best destination for the England international. In terms of getting regular minutes, Liverpool was probably the best option. Right now, the Reds only have two senior centre-backs in Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté. Van Dijk is now 34 and Konaté’s contract is set to expire in the summer – Guéhi could have become the prominent centre-back at Anfield.

However, on the pitch itself Liverpool have struggled this season, and with other issues to revolve around the likes Mohamed Salah, it’s perhaps not the most settled dressing room to enter. Man City have been the trophy-winning juggernauts of the last decade, but last term suffered their first trophy-less campaign in years, and with Guardiola’s future uncertain and his contract out in 2027, the Etihad may not once be the stable home to guarantee trophies that it once was. Another thing to consider – whilst right now Guéhi will slot straight in at City, when Dias and Gvardiola return will he be a guaranteed starter? There will be plenty of competition once City’s defensive injury issues soften.

At Arsenal, Guéhi would have encountered similar issues in terms of competition. He would be competing with one of if not the best centre-back partnership in the world in Gabriel and William Saliba, and that duo is unlikely to get broken up if they are both fit and available. There were rumours that Mikel Arteta wanted to move Myles Lewis-Skelly to midfield, have Piero Hinacapié compete for the left-back position and that would free up a space at centre-back, but still probably not a first-choice one.

Nevertheless, it is arguably the most settled dressing room and he might think he has the best chance to win trophies at Arsenal in the near future. Although Arteta’s team still need to get over the line this season and prove they can win silverware. It would seem the opportunity of signing Guéhi on a free transfer is one many top clubs saw as too good to miss, and some will have certainly been thinking of signing him to stop their rivals getting their hands on such a talent, but Man City swopped in early to get their man this month. Will it prove to be the right decision for last season’s FA Cup winner? Only time will tell.