England supporters sank into the cold familiar feeling of disappointment after Spain overpowered Gareth Southgate's outfit and won the 2024 European Championship. Now, though, the likes of Liverpool can accelerate their pre-season preparations.
Despite the gripping international escapades of the past month, there has been a flurry of transfer activity in the Premier League, replete with incomings and outgoings. Despite sweeping structural changes, Anfield has lingered in the shadows in that regard so far, with Arne Slot yet to welcome the exciting first-team addition that fans are craving.
A quiet start to the summer has been nothing to be concerned about, however, with the Dutchman insinuating himself among new surroundings and working on building new layers to his predecessor's outfit. Now that the pot is stirring, expect an acceleration of action. Expect an impactful signing or two.
Liverpool's hunt for a new defender
Slot has inherited a deep and talented squad but reinforcing it with new parts of glimmering quality would not be remiss. In central defence, particularly, Liverpool could benefit from a fresh face, with Virgil van Djik now 33 and into the final year of his contract.
As such, there might just be something in Fabrizio Romano's claim that Liverpool are interested in Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, who starred for England at Euro 2024 and is valued at around £50m.
The 24-year-old has been scouted by the Reds for several months and the barrel could now be turned toward Selhurst Park, with international obligations wrapped up.
Speaking recently, Romano noted: "Guehi has been linked with Liverpool. I can tell you that Liverpool have been scouting the player for a long time. He’s a player they like, for sure."
Why Liverpool are interested in Marc Guehi
Crystal Palace signed Guehi from Chelsea for £18m in 2021 and he has since completed 111 appearances for the Eagles, with his steely, languid approach to defending marking him as one of the most composed centre-backs in English football.
England fought tooth and nail to reach the final of the Euros but, candidly, flattered to deceive, with a never-say-die attitude foiled by the slick and stylish fútbol of the Spaniards, overpowering Southgate's pragmatic solidity.
Guehi, though, can hold his head high, having stepped into the limelight following Harry Maguire's disappointing injury absence and excelled, proving to be crisp in possession and combative and mobile out of it.
Matches played
6
Matches started
6
Clean sheets
2
Pass completion
94%
Touches per game
82.8
Tackles per game
0.5
Interceptions per game
0.3
Clearances per game
2.0
Ball recoveries per game
4.7
Ground duels won per game
1.8 (61%)
Statistics, for all they are worth, can be misleading. Guehi is not a very hands-on type of central defender, ranking 'poorly' for output concerning his tackles and interceptions, but this is actually a nod to his eagle-visioned reading of the game, recovering plenty of loose balls and proving to be sharp and incisive in the duel.
Indeed, Guehi might have been a replacement but he was in the Three Lions' starting line-up on merit, having been hailed as a "monster" in the backline by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi.
Across 25 Premier League matches for the Eagles last season, Guehi completed 87% of his passes, won 67% of his ground duels and averaged 4.8 recoveries and 3.5 clearances per match, as per Sofascore.
He's right-footed but analyst Ben Mattinson has described him as "one of those versatile CBs who can play both sides equally as comfortably", which could pay dividends in the quest for a Van Dijk successor.
However, Guehi is certainly not cut from the same cloth despite some similarities, with the most notable point of polarity Guehi's mediocre aerial ability compared to Van Dijk's imperious ruling of the footballing skies – the Reds skipper won a supreme 81% of his aerial battles in the Premier League last term, averaging 3.9 per game.
The transfer target, instead, could prove to be Liverpool's very own version of Arsenal's William Saliba, who is probably Van Dijk's biggest rival in the fight for the prized spot as English football's best defender.
How Guehi compares to Saliba
Saliba has been the centrepiece of Mikel Arteta's backline – both figuratively and literally – over the past few years, widely regarded as one of Europe's finest in his position after two superlative years, playing every minute of the 2023/24 campaign as the Gunners narrowly missed out on the title – again – to Manchester City.
Like Guehi, the France international is not one to jump into tackles, instead leaning back and sitting deep, conducting and controlling and reading, before pouncing and dispossessing his adversaries, overturning possession, and threading the ball forward with elite ball-playing skills, ranking among the top 9% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 12% for passes attempted per 90, as per FBref.
Guehi has proved in Germany over the past month that he can match the 23-year-old's sharpness in possession while also bringing energy and exuberance to the play – the likeness is striking, as you can see for yourself below.
Matches played
25
38
Matches started
23
38
Goals
0
2
Assists
1
1
Clean sheets
4
18
Pass completion
87%
93%
Touches per game
61.6
82.3
Tackles per game
1.1
1.1
Interceptions per game
0.7
0.8
Clearances per game
3.5
2.1
Ball recoveries per game
4.8
5.6
Ground duels won per game
2.4 (67%)
1.8 (60%)
Let's not pretend that Saliba was not performing at the superior level last season, but Guehi matches up stylistically and was, in fairness, better in the duel. Moreover, the Palace man missed portions of the campaign due to injury and plied most of his football during the first half of the season, when Roy Hodgson's ramshackle outfit flopped and foundered.
Robert Glasner, lionised in south London after transforming the club, dissembling it and piecing it back together in a more attractive shape, has scarcely utilised Guehi's strengths.
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FSG would make a real statement of intent by sealing this signing.
ByAngus Sinclair Jul 14, 2024
If Palace carry their purple patch into the new season, Guehi could rise to a whole 'nother level entirely – that is, of course, unless Liverpool snap him up first.