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.”
PEP GUARDIOLA REFUSES TO GUARANTEE RODRI’S RETURN FOR MONDAY’S PREMIER LEAGUE CLASH
Pep Guardiola provides the latest injury news on Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Josko Gvardiol ahead of a crucial title race clash at Everton.
Pep Guardiola has shared the latest on Manchester City's injury situation ahead of Monday’s Premier League match against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
City is in good form right now. They came from behind to beat Southampton 2-1 in the FA Cup semi-final last weekend, making it six wins in a row across all competitions.
But they’ve had to do it without Rodri. He's missed their last two matches, including a tight 1-0 win at Burnley, after hurting his groin against Arsenal a couple of weeks back. Guardiola recently told reporters that Rodri is getting better, but the team’s been cautious and isn’t rushing him back.
At his latest press conference on Friday, Guardiola said Rodri still hasn’t returned to training, so they’re just taking it day by day. There's hope, but Guardiola wouldn’t give any guarantees about Rodri’s chances of playing against Everton. "He’s getting better. Still, he didn't train with us, so we’ll see in the next few days,” he said. When pressed about his confidence, Pep just replied, “I am always confident.”
With Rodri still not training, it sounds like a last-minute decision on whether he’ll play. A start against Everton seems unlikely. That probably means Nico González, who scored the winner against Southampton, will keep his spot in midfield next to Bernardo Silva. Maybe Nico O’Reilly slides into central midfield, too, if he isn’t covering at left-back.
It’s not all good news in defence either. Ruben Dias is still out with the ankle injury that’s kept him sidelined for the last six games, and Josko Gvardiol is recovering from the tibial fracture he picked up in January. Both are working their way back, and Guardiola says they’re improving, but there’s no sign of a return just yet.
Turning to the Everton game, City could head into it trailing Arsenal by six points if the Gunners beat Fulham on Saturday. With the title race this tight, City can’t afford to slip up.
Guardiola knows Monday will be tough. “Everton have always been tough,” he said. “Old Everton was so cool and so British, and I loved to go there, but in the new stadium, they are defending really well, and it has always been tough." He’s not taking recent Everton results lightly, adding, 'They're fighting for a place in Europe. We won with two or three actions here, but we were not good at that moment. We can’t have any result but win, win, win.”
Everton won’t be easy, especially away, but City can at least take confidence from their strong record of 17 league games unbeaten against the Toffees. They won the reverse fixture 2-0, with Haaland scoring both goals. Still, Guardiola isn’t expecting it to be straightforward.
MANCHESTER CITY’S REQUEST TO RESCHEDULE PIVOTAL PREMIER LEAGUE TIES BRUTALLY DENIED
The Premier League has rejected Man City’s plea to swap Palace and Bournemouth matches. See City's brutal end-of-season schedule.
Manchester City are on the hunt for another domestic treble just seven years after the last one. Pep Guardiola pulled it off in 2018/19 with wins in the Premier League, FA Cup, and Carabao Cup. Now he's got his sights set on doing it again.
City’s deep run in the cups has created a mess for their league schedule. Their home game against Crystal Palace, which was supposed to happen during the Carabao Cup final weekend on March 22, got bumped. Same thing with their trip to Bournemouth, originally set for the day after the FA Cup final.
There’s a hold-up with rescheduling Palace; the Eagles’ Conference League semi-final run means they’ve got barely any free midweek dates. The match was pencilled in for Wednesday, May 13, but things got complicated when City reached the FA Cup Final, and Bournemouth got postponed too. The city asked the Premier League if they could play Bournemouth on Tuesday, May 12, then face Palace a week later, to squeeze in an extra recovery day before the Wembley showdown. Plus, that would give them the bonus of finishing their last two league games at home. But the Premier League usually insists that the fixture that was originally scheduled first in this case, Palace, gets played first.
According to The Mirror, City’s request was shot down. So now Guardiola’s team has to cram their last four matches into just 12 days: Palace visits on May 13, then the FA Cup Final, Bournemouth away on May 19, and finally wrapping things up at home to Aston Villa on May 24.
They couldn't play Bournemouth on May 20 because that’s the Europa League final night, and UEFA didn’t want any Premier League games stealing the spotlight when Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest could be involved.
The Mirror says the revised fixture dates and kick-off times are coming out today. Chelsea, also FA Cup finalists, will play their rescheduled match against Tottenham on May 19.
City still has to travel to Everton next Monday and host Brentford on Saturday, May 9. Then comes their jam-packed finish, starting with Palace.
Meanwhile, title rivals Arsenal will be hoping City’s crowded schedule works in their favour. Though Arsenal has its own challenge, a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid is spread across the next two midweeks.
Arsenal closes out its league campaign with home games against Fulham and Burnley and trips to West Ham and Palace.
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