Vicente Guaita has now spoken about the emotions behind his decision to leave Crystal Palace.
The Spaniard was a hugely popular figure at Selhurst Park before leaving for Celta Vigo in September 2023 – following a clash with Roy Hodgson which led to a public outburst.
In fact, the 76-year-old even accused the man from Torrent of refusing to play for the Eagles, saying: “Sam Johnstone is the only (goalkeeper) at the moment because Guaita is disenchanted and has made it clear to me and the club that he would like to move on.
“He’s refused to play in our games so far, but the complication is that he’s got a year’s contract, so it’s up to the club to decide, not him.”
After then being left out of the squad for the 1-0 win over Sheffield United back in August, the glovesman hopped onto social media to write: “Where is my name? So how can I play for Palace?”
Now – in an interview with Eldesmarque – Vicente Guaita has opened up on why he left Crystal Palace…
Vicente Guaita shares why he left Crystal Palace
Well, the 37-year-old has blamed tiredness for his decision to leave SE25.
Guaita told Eldesmarque: “I had very important and beautiful years in London. When I saw that I was tired I decided to change my scene, my club. I came with the same enthusiasm every day. At first I had to wait for my opportunity to play.”
In total, the Celta Vigo No.25 made 154 appearances for Crystal Palace – keeping 46 clean sheets while also conceding 201 goals.
As Guaita mentions, he had to be patient and wait to dislodge Wayne Hennessey after initially arriving on a free transfer from Getafe back in June 2018.
The Spanish shot-stopper than found himself under threat from Jack Butland and Johnstone, with the latter eventually taking his place after Guaita suffered an injury at the end of last season.
Odd decision
Guaita is – of course – entitled to do whatever he pleases with his career, although his comments come across as strange to us, given the fact he signed a new contract as recently as January 2023.
Butland and Johnstone – as well as Remi Matthews – were all at Selhurst Park when that renewal was penned.
Therefore, Guaita’s competition hardly sprung out of nowhere, and if the goalkeeper really did feel “tired” with life at Selhurst Park, he could have simply left on a free in the summer of 2023, rather than have to force his way out due to that one-year contract extension.
It would have been nice for his time at Crystal Palace to end on a less sour note, although the goalkeeping department is currently in fine fettle with Johnstone and Dean Henderson battling for the No.1 shirt, so all is well.
