Marc Guehi officially completed his move from Crystal Palace to Manchester City on Monday, days after a long-awaited move away from the London club was all but confirmed by Palace’s (eventually) outgoing coach Oliver Glasner.
City reportedly paid Palace $26.8 million for Guehi’s services, according to The Athletic, bringing an end to a months-long saga over his departure. Guehi’d deal with Palace expired at the end of the season, prompting him to pursue a move to Liverpool last summer that eventually collapsed on deadline day when Palace could not secure a replacement. Guehi missed Palace’s defeat at Sunderland on Saturday as his transfer to City was being finalized.
Guehi immediately provides much-needed depth for City as their busy season continues, especially considering the injuries that Pep Guardiola’s side currently have to contend with. Ruben Dias is out with a hamstring issue and John Stones is currently dealing with a thigh injury, each of them expected to return in the coming weeks, while Josko Gvardiol recently underwent surgery for an ankle issue that will keep him out until the spring.
Though City are seven points adrift of first place Arsenal in the Premier League, Guardiola’s group remain active in the three other competitions they entered at the start of the season — they advanced to the fourth round of the FA Cup, are currently in the mix for a top eight finish in the UEFA Champions League with two league phase games to go and carry a 2-0 advantage into the second leg of the EFL Cup semifinals against Newcastle United.
It is unclear exactly when Guehi will make his debut for City, who have a jam-packed schedule over the next week and change. Guardiola’s side return to play on Tuesday for a Champions League fixture at Bodo/Glimt and return home on Saturday for a match against Premier League bottom-dwellers Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Manchester City’s rebuilding phase continues
City have now spent roughly $100 million in the January transfer window with Guehi’s addition, the bulk of their funds spent on Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth earlier this month. It marks the third straight transfer window in which the club has spent upwards of $100 million on signings, a signal that City are still in the process of restructuring their squad as a batch of veterans departed – and after Guardiola’s first trophyless season since his first campaign with the club in 2016-17.
The new players have almost entirely been recruited with the hopes of making an immediate impact, especially as City’s title charge continues. The Premier League title may be be unlikely at this point but Guardiola’s side are one game away from reaching the EFL Cup final, are still in the early stages of an FA Cup run and have excelled enough in the Champions League this season that a title run there cannot be ruled out just yet.
As Guardiola introduces one new signing after another, though, it is clear the club are also building with one eye towards the future. Part of their hardships this season have been down to an adjustment period for Guardiola’s new vision for the team, the group coming up with enough strong performances over the first half of the campaign to demonstrate that they are on the right track. It is clear, though, that there is still room for improvement – City are still overly reliant on Erling Haaland in attack, for example, his ineffective performance proving costly in their 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday.
