The necessary paperwork was submitted on time—but on Tuesday, Marc Guehi is still Palace captain instead of a Liverpool pro. Was Oliver Glasner even threatening to resign?
As if things weren’t already turbulent enough, this leaked video also surfaced on Monday evening. In over three minutes, accompanied by emotional music, Crystal Palace appears to bid farewell to its defensive leader Marc Guehi. “Thank you, Skip,” it says at the end, “Thank you, Captain.”
But there was a good reason why this clip was never published on an official club channel: Guehi did not leave Palace after all. His transfer to Liverpool FC fell through dramatically on Deadline Day – and only after the 8 p.m. deadline had already passed.
Palace accepted Liverpool’s offer – then things took a dramatic turn
The Reds had taken their time until Sunday to make an initial official offer for the center back, whom they had been pursuing all summer. They knew that Palace was willing to sell a year before the contract expired, as club boss Steve Parish had even publicly stated after the Community Shield against Liverpool (2-1).
Palace rejected the first offer, but accepted the second on Monday—reportedly €40 million plus a resale share—from the FA Cup winners. Guehi, who had previously registered his desire to leave, had even started his medical in London, according to media reports, before things took a dramatic turn. Palace coach Oliver Glasner, who had already publicly demanded Guehi’s stay on Sunday, had “heated discussions” with Parish, according to The Guardian, who apparently even feared that the successful coach might quit if he lost his captain at the last minute.
At the same time, the planned loan of Brighton defender Igor Julio, who was already on his way to Palace but then decided to join West Ham instead, fell through. However, it is unlikely that Glasner would have agreed to Guehi’s sale if the 27-year-old Brazilian had joined. The Austrian emphasized on Sunday that the agreement reached with Parish in March stipulated that a replacement for Guehi would be signed by July 1. Nineteen-year-old Jaydee Canvot, whom Palace signed from Toulouse on Monday for just under €25 million, was not considered an immediate solution anyway.
Liverpool gained two extra hours – in vain
Liverpool continued to hope for Guehi and even submitted the necessary transfer documents to the Premier League in time, giving those responsible two more hours after the 8 p.m. deadline to complete the transfer. But the desired player was no longer available. Glasner remained firm, and in the end, so did Parish, who did not want to lose Guehi on a free transfer under any circumstances.
This is exactly what threatens to happen in the summer of 2026, when Guehi’s contract expires and Liverpool could become an issue again—if not as early as this winter, should Palace find an adequate replacement by then. Until then, Glasner is tasked with delivering the “successful season” that, according to him, is only possible with Guehi, while Liverpool must plan with their quartet of center backs Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konaté, Joe Gomez, and young newcomer Giovanni Leoni.
It’s curious: the Reds, who broke the Premier League record for the second time on Monday with Alexander Isak after Florian Wirtz, spent almost €500 million on high-profile new signings this summer – and yet ended the transfer window with bitter disappointment.
