Former Premier League manager Tim Sherwood has told BetBrain that he believes Chelsea should focus their attention to signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace following Levi Colwill’s long-term injury.
Former Premier League manager Tim Sherwood has told BetBrain that he believes Chelsea should focus their attention to signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace following Levi Colwill’s long-term injury.
It would be a bit of a twist of fate since, as many may remember, Marc was a product of Chelsea’s Academy system, having departed for Crystal Palace in 2021. The Blues got a reported £18 million for him back then. Given that Guehi’s contract runs out at the end of the 2025/26 season, hoping to reunite with the English centre-back would be a no deposit bonus that would imply his salary fees.
“Marc Guehi is the obvious choice for Chelsea to replace Levi Colwill at centre-back,” he said. “He’s a player that will hit the ground running at Chelsea, having already played in the Premier League for a few years and to a very high standard. They can risk waiting until next season when his contract at Crystal Palace expires, but there’ll be a queue to sign him, without doubt.
As Tim Sherwood put it, there is no guarantee that Chelsea would be in pole position to land his services. Liverpool were heavily linked with him as a pasodoble for the Merseyside club, in concurrence with Giovanni Leone’s move from Parma. However, Oliver Glasner’s last-minute veto of this departure put a wrench in the Reds’ plan, opening up a pathway for Chelsea to scoop.
“It looks like both Liverpool and Chelsea have turned Guehi’s head away from Palace. Ibrahima Konate is out of contract next season for Liverpool and while Guehi might not start ahead of him or Virgil van Dijk, he’d be a solid replacement if either left the club. Even if Konate stayed, the best teams in the league have high quality cover in every position and Guehi would fit that bill.
There are rarely any free spins in the world of top-level football. The entire dynamic would imply a last-minute push, probably with an involved fee. As such, Levi Colwill’s replacement is not as easy a mission as it may seem, especially with clubs like Liverpool in the market for a new centre-back. One with Premier League experience is even more valuable.
“My feeling is Steve Parish will want to try and keep hold of Guehi for as long as possible, but Palace know they can’t allow him to leave for free – it’d be a huge loss.”
