The decision taken by England international Marc Guehi to join Manchester City has been detailed in a new report this week.Guehi completed a £20 million transfer from Crystal Palace last week, signin...
The decision taken by England international Marc Guehi to join Manchester City has been detailed in a new report this week.
Guehi completed a £20 million transfer from Crystal Palace last week, signing a five-and-a-half year deal that will see him earn south of £300,000-per-week at the Etihad Stadium.
The 25-year-old came very close to joining Liverpool last summer only for a move to break down at the eleventh hour, with Guehi cracking on and enjoying a stellar first half of the 2025-26 season in south London.
Manchester City intensified their pursuit of the Ivory Coast-born star in the wake of injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea on January 4, bolstering their depleted defence with the stellar, shrewd acquisition of the former Crystal Palace skipper.
Guehi had a wide list of possible destinations as he entered the last six months of his contract at Selhurst Park, with all of Liverpool, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in competition with Manchester City for the Englishman’s signature.
However, City’s desire to close a deal this month and Palace’s preference of securing a transfer fee – albeit a bargain for a player of Guehi’s calibre – to avoid losing the defender for nothing in the summer saw Guehi join forces with Pep Guardiola last week.
In conversation with Football Transfers, market insider Duncan Castles has outlined the thought process behind Guehi’s decision to swap Crystal Palace for Manchester City and the personal factors that impressed those at the Etihad Stadium.
“When asking why he (Guehi) chose Manchester City now, rather than waiting for Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or another European giant, it was always going to be a move to the north-west if a big club there came in. A lot of his friends live there. That was his preference,” said Castles.
“He (Guehi) was ready to go to Liverpool (in 2025). Manchester City were a very good fit so he chose that option when it came. They emphasised his character: super focused on football, family man, church very important to him and a positive dressing-room presence.
“So you’re getting top-level quality on the pitch and someone you can bring into the squad, knowing he’ll be an excellent fit as a person as well.”
After being ineligible to play in a 3-1 defeat to Bodo/Glimt in the UEFA Champions League 24 hours after his Manchester City move was made official, Guehi led the Blues to a much-needed clean sheet on his full debut in a 2-0 win over Wolves on Saturday.
Guehi will again be ineligible to feature against Galatasaray in City’s final UEFA Champions League group-stage fixture on Wednesday night but Guardiola and co have gotten their hands on one of England’s best defenders for an absolute bargain – as they contest for silverware on multiple fronts in the second half of the season.
Category: General Sports
