The one thing holding Chelsea back from major bid for former defender | OneFootball

There was so much deadline day drama at Chelsea this summer that it was easy to miss out on what was going on elsewhere.

Liverpool finally managed to land their man and get Alexander Isak done – but they missed out on their other top target, Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace.

Guehi misses dream move – but has serious compensation

Marc Guehi marshalls the Crystal Palace defence. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The defender’s move fell through after his current team were unable to secure a replacement in time. It’s a shame for Guehi, who clearly wanted to go to Anfield. But unlike some people who are really taking pity on him, we’re not sure he’s even too upset.

His contract expires next summer. So in return for staying put at Palace for another year (where he is valued, the captain, and playing for a good team) he gets to move on a free. A huge chunk of the £35m that Liverpool were willing to pay for him now ends up going into his salary.

He also gets the freedom to choose from all the bidders, playing them off against each other to get the best deal.

Only one thing holding Chelsea back from Guehi bid next summer

It’s a nice situation to be in – the question is whether Chelsea are among those suitors next summer. Despite being heavily linked with their former academy player all summer, they never seemed to get serious about a bid, even when Levi Colwill’s season ending injury was confirmed.

But as we saw when they snapped up Tosin last summer, free transfers are always tempting no matter the model in place. The fact that Guehi is home grown makes him even more tempting.

The only thing holding us back from making a big effort to sign him is how much his wage demands would be and whether we can fit them within our strict limits.