Marc Guehi’s move to Crystal Palace is perfect for all parties

Marc Guehi has completed a transfer from Chelsea to Crystal Palace ahead of the new 2021/22 campaign.

The centre-back has signed a five-year deal at the Eagles following a successful loan spell in the Championship with Swansea.

Guehi became Patrick Vieira’s third signing of the summer after the former Arsenal midfielder took over as manager at the beginning of July.

Following the confirmation of the signing, the 21-year-old explained why he decided to switch West London for South London.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to come to such a big club in the Premier League. I’m really excited to get going.

“The club is taking a really exciting direction with the new gaffer that’s come in. A lot of good young players are here and obviously, it is such a stable club with top players which really enticed me and made me want to come.”

Chelsea cash-in on Academy star

Embed from Getty Images

Guehi had been a part of the Chelsea academy from the age of eight and rose quickly through the ranks of the star-studded academy at Cobham.

The England under-21 international decided to branch out and gain valuable match experience in January 2020, where he joined Swansea on loan for the remainder of the season.

He returned to the Swans the following season and was a standout player making 40 appearances in their promotion push.

Guehi returned to Chelsea for pre-season following the conclusion of the Euros with many expecting the defender to stake his claim to be a part of the first-team squad for the upcoming season.

However, the centre-back met with Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel where it became clear that the defender was still far down the pecking order behind the likes of Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva, Andreas Christensen, Cesar Azpilicueta, and the returning Malang Sarr.

So with vast interest from clubs in the Premier League and the Championship, when the Eagles came in with an offer believed to be in the region of £20m for a player who had made just two senior appearances for the Blues, it was an offer Chelsea simply could not refuse.

The 21-year-old became the second academy defender to depart from West London, following in the footsteps of Fikayo Tomori, who permanently joined AC Milan following a successful loan in the second half of last season.

Yet the move comes with security for the Blues, who have inserted a sell-on clause in the contract and have the option to match any offers received for the centre-back in the future.

In the meantime, Chelsea will look to use the additional money to help fund an ambitious move for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.

Transfer of intent for Palace and Guehi

Following the departure of long-term manager Roy Hodgson and the arrival of Vieira at the club, the Eagles have used this summer as an opportunity to revitalise and rejuvenate their ageing squad.

Guehi bolsters a defence that last season consisted of a 35-year-old Gary Cahill, a 34-year-old Scott Dann and a 32-year-old James Tomkins.

Cheikhou Kouyate was deployed as a centre-half for the majority of last season due to injuries and the form of other defenders, however, the arrival of the 21-year-old should allow the Senegalese international to return to his favoured position in central midfield.

Alongside the transfer of Guehi, Palace have also signed Michael Olise from Reading to boost an attack that averaged just 1.08 goals per game last season.

Olise adds another promising young talent to the Eagles frontline and is set to line up with Wilfried Zaha, Eberechi Eze and Christian Benteke in attack.

As for Guehi, he is expected to be the mainstay in the Crystal Palace backline next season and the 21-year-old will look to prove his worth in the Premier League.

The defender could have easily settled to play a bit-part role at the Blues but opted to continue his playing streak and continue his fine run of form by continuing to play regular football.

Should Guehi continue to impress a senior England call-up could be in the pipeline and he could be pushing to be on the plane for the World Cup in 2022.

The 21-year-old could make his debut against his former club as the two sides prepare to face each other in the opening match of the Premier League season.

Follow us on Twitter @ProstInt