Marc Guehi was the centre of attention on transfer deadline day.
The Crystal Palace No.6 found himself firmly in the spotlight as Liverpool made a £35m bid for his services on Monday 1st September, an offer Steve Parish initially accepted – according to widespread reports – before the deal fell through.
There were strong rumours from a number of sources which claimed Oliver Glasner threatened to quit if Marc Guehi was sold, and the Austrian has now spilled the beans on what really happened.
Oliver Glasner clears the air after concerning Marc Guehi saga
The Austrian has now set the record straight, and it makes us feel a lot better about the situation.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash against Sunderland on Saturday, Glasner told CPFC: “(This is) the last time I want to talk about it. The Crystal Palace fans deserve to hear how it really was, as so many things were written. Number one, I never threatened to leave the club. Never.
“The second thing, at the end of many discussions, the chairman asked me, Oliver, do you think we can manage the season (if) we sell Marc? I said, Steve, honestly, we can’t manage it in the short term.
“We buy a 19-year-old (Jaydee Canvot). Fantastic player. About 1,000 minutes in Ligue 1, but selling our captain with about 15,000 minutes in the Premier League, I think we can’t manage it in the short term.
“Then we (would) have three centre-backs, with our schedule, if we have an injury in the back three, I think it’s very, very risky. If you want this scenario for Crystal Palace and you are fine with it, sell Marc.
“If you don’t want to have this for Crystal Palace, then we have to keep him, and he decided we keep him, so big credit to the chairman.”
The likes of Sky Sports and other outlets confidently reported that Crystal Palace – who are financially healthy – had accepted a £35m bid from Liverpool for Guehi, and that the England international had started to undergo a medical with the Reds.
However, Glasner – who Simon Jordan doubts will sign a new deal – makes it sound like nothing of the sort even happened, so the entire deadline day drama now feels like a mountain was made out of a molehill.
Oliver Glasner revelation provides fresh hope for a new contract
The mood within the fanbase was very low when it seemed like Parish had stabbed Glasner in the back and tried to sell Guehi at the last minute, as, if that had happened, it surely would have put an end to any chance of the 51-year-old staying beyond his current terms expiring in June 2026.
However, with the man born in Salzburg now sending “big credit” to Parish in the public eye, it suggests their relationship is not as tense as it seemed.
Hopefully, it will mean Glasner is willing to extend his time working under the man born in Forest Hill.
