Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has revealed his club’s historic debut European campaign was behind the decision to block captain Marc Guehi’s dream switch to Liverpool. The Premier League champions had struck a £35million agreement with Palace on transfer deadline day for the England defender.
Guehi was granted permission to complete his medical in London on September 1. However, the Eagles’ bid to secure a replacement collapsed when Brighton star Igor Julio opted for a loan spell at West Ham instead of moving to Selhurst Park. Reports also surfaced on the evening that Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who was determined to retain Guehi, had threatened to quit if the star player departed south London. The proposed transfer to Anfield was subsequently scrapped and Liverpool are now anticipated to return next summer when the 25-year-old will be available as a free agent.
Parish has now disclosed that the FA Cup winners’ maiden European adventure was the primary factor behind the choice to retain Guehi, who is now entitled to discuss terms with foreign clubs from January 1 regarding a pre-contract agreement.
“It’s a difficult decision,” Parish told talkSPORT. “It’s as simple as that these things are never black and white.
“I decided in the end that, based on the advice that I got and with what I think, that we would have a better season if we kept Marc.
“We don’t guess about these things. If you look at it rationally, if you look at what is worth the place in the Premier League, the fact that we’re in the Conference League for the first time in our history, this is a fairly unusual set of circumstances in which to keep a player.
“If we were fighting between the difference of 10th and 14th, if that was going to be the difference between keeping Marc and letting Marc go, then probably we would have said: ‘Right, we should take the money.'”
