MARC GUEHI SIGNS SIX-YEAR MANCHESTER CITY DEAL FOLLOWING SHOCK CRYSTAL PALACE EXIT
Marc Guehi has officially joined Manchester City for £20m. Discover how the former Palace captain solves Pep's injury crisis.
Marc Guehi has officially joined Manchester City, signing from Crystal Palace in a £20 million deal. The England defender is locked in at City until 2031 and jumps straight into a backline that’s been hammered by injuries—Pep Guardiola’s side lost Josko Gvardiol for the rest of the season, and they’re still missing Ruben Dias and John Stones.
The city put out a statement welcoming Guehi, calling the 25-year-old a big addition and confirming he’s signed a five-and-a-half-year contract. Guehi’s journey started at Chelsea. After a standout loan at Swansea City, where he helped them reach the Championship play-off final in 2020-21, he made the switch to Crystal Palace.
This past summer at EURO 2024, Guehi was one of England’s top performers as they made it all the way to the final. Palace handed him the captain’s armband for the 2024-25 season, and he wasted no time making history—he led them to their first-ever major trophy and European qualification by lifting the FA Cup against City last May. A few months later, Palace beat Liverpool at Wembley to win the Community Shield. All told, Guehi played 188 games and scored 11 goals for Palace.
He’s City’s second signing of this transfer window, following Antoine Semenyo’s arrival from Bournemouth, bringing the club’s January spend to £85 million.
Speaking after the move, Guehi said, “I’m really happy and incredibly proud to be a Manchester City player. This feels like the payoff for all the work I’ve put in over the years. I’m now at the best club in England, surrounded by an unbelievable squad. It feels good to say that. I want to grow as both a player and a person, and I know this is the place for it. Football’s given me so much, and to keep developing here is special for my family. I can’t wait to get started—meet my teammates, train hard, learn what the manager wants, and show the fans what I’m about.”
The city’s director of football, Hugo Viana, couldn’t hide his excitement either: “Marc’s been one of the top defenders in England for a while, so we’re thrilled to have him. He’s only 25 but already a leader and a true professional, always looking to get better. He’s strong, smart, and brings tons of energy every game. We’re lucky he chose us. Marc’s coming into his prime, and I think every City fan is eager to see what he can do in sky blue.”
There was nearly a twist last summer—Guehi almost joined Liverpool, but Palace blocked the move at the last minute. Now he joins a City squad still fighting for the Premier League title, sitting seven points behind Arsenal. They’re also on the brink of another Carabao Cup final after a 2-0 first-leg win over Newcastle, and they’re still in the FA Cup. Guehi can’t play in City’s Champions League games against Bodo/Glimt and Galatasaray, but if City makes the knockouts, he’ll be eligible.
Guehi’s City debut should come at home against Wolves on Saturday. He’s ready for it. “This squad has so much experience—guys who’ve played at the top and won everything. There are also some really exciting young players coming through. With Antoine [Semenyo] joining, who’s already proven himself in the Premier League, it just makes the team even stronger. I want to come in, do my part, be one of the lads, and help us get even better.”
HAALAND WATCH: ERLING HAALAND FACES A LATE FITNESS TEST BEFORE NOTTINGHAM FOREST CLASH
Erling Haaland is "feeling better!" Read Pep Guardiola’s injury update, the Forest lineup news, and the Real Madrid prep here.
Erling Haaland is feeling a lot better now, but he still needs to get checked after Manchester City’s training on Tuesday before they decide if he can face Nottingham Forest. He missed the Leeds game because he picked up a small knock in training last Thursday, and right after that match, Pep Guardiola didn’t have any updates on Haaland’s fitness.
Even though Haaland’s still not a sure thing for the Forest game, City are pretty hopeful he’ll be back after getting the weekend off. The same goes for Nico O’Reilly. He limped off with an ankle issue during the 1-0 win over Leeds, but he managed to join the recovery session on Sunday.
“Erling feels much better, but we didn’t train yesterday. We’ll see how he is in training today and then make a call,” Guardiola said at his Tuesday press conference.
The city handled things well without Haaland up front. Antoine Semenyo got the only goal, playing alongside Omar Marmoush. Guardiola didn’t seem too stressed before kickoff, either. “He had some problems and a little injury two days ago in training. Nothing serious, but he wasn’t ready today,” Pep said at Elland Road.
Other than that, City’s injury list isn’t too worrying as they keep chasing trophies. Jeremy Doku was back in the squad at Leeds for the first time since his injury, and Savinho came on in the second half, his first appearance since New Year’s Day.
Right now, only Mateo Kovačić and Josko Gvardiol are still out, but Guardiola’s positive about Kovačić since he’s started training again.
“It’s March, and we’re still in all the competitions. That’s special,” Guardiola said. “Last season, we were already out of the Champions League and FA Cup at this point. Now, it’s Newcastle in the FA Cup on Saturday, then two games with Real Madrid. Win, and you keep going; lose, and you’re out. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
City are looking to cut the gap to Arsenal on Wednesday night. Both play at the same time. City hosts Forest while Arsenal heads to Brighton, who just beat Forest. There are five points between them, but Arsenal have played an extra game.
After Forest, City have two big away matches: Newcastle in the FA Cup, then Real Madrid in the Champions League last 16. Haaland has already scored at the Bernabeu, but oddly enough, he hasn’t managed a goal against Newcastle in four tries this season.
THE FERGUSON BLUEPRINT: COULD PEP GUARDIOLA MIMIC SIR ALEX’S LEGENDARY 2013 EXIT?
Shay Given suggests Pep Guardiola could mirror Sir Alex Ferguson by leaving Manchester City if they secure the 2026 title.
People are starting to wonder if Pep Guardiola will bow out in style if he wins the Premier League this season, kind of like Sir Alex Ferguson did with Manchester United during his last year.
On Saturday night, Manchester City beat Leeds and pulled itself just two points behind Arsenal. The pressure’s on. Arsenal still lead, and they can stretch that gap to five points again, but they’ve played one more game than City. It’s a tight race.
City are no strangers to chasing down Arsenal; they’ve done it twice before in the last three seasons. Guardiola’s team has the experience, and honestly, that counts for a lot right now.
Arsenal have a great squad, no doubt about it, but not many of their players have actually won the Premier League. That could make a difference as the pressure builds.
Shay Given, who used to play in goal at the top level, thinks Guardiola might walk away from Manchester City if he lifts another trophy. He sees a bit of Ferguson in Pep winning big, then calling it a day. Given talked about it on Premier League Productions: “Arsenal probably have the deeper squad, two or three players for every position. But Pep’s not giving anything away. When someone asked him what Arteta needs to do to win the league, he just said, ‘I’m not going to tell him.’ He wants that trophy for himself.”
It’s pretty simple now: If either team wins all their remaining games, they win the league. Given says he’d back City. He trusts their experience. “They’ve been here before,” he said. “And I’ve got a feeling Pep might leave if they win the league. He’s rebuilt the team; maybe it’s time for someone else to take over, but he’ll want to go out on a high.”
Guardiola and City haven’t stood still. Over the last year and a half, they’ve kept reshaping their squad planning for life after Pep. Marc Guehi, Tijjani Reijnders, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Antoine Semenyo have all come in. Erling Haaland and Ruben Dias are either at their peak or about to hit it. The city looks ready, whatever happens next.
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