Chelsea would get a strong leader if they eventually re-sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, according to Manchester City's Phil Foden.
Guehi, 24, is being eyed for a return to his old club, which he left in 2021 to join Palace in a deal worth £18million. If the Blues were to bring the England international back to Stamford Bridge, they would likely have to pay three times as much, plus a little extra to appease the south Londoners. However, it now appears the Blues are happy to wait until the summer to sign Guehi.
The centre-back has captained Palace in the absence of captain Joel Ward, who has fallen out of favor under Oliver Glasner. Foden is one of many people who know Guehi's footballing and personal qualities, having played alongside him during England's run to the 2024 European Championship final.
Guehi played in every match apart from the Three Lions' quarter-final triumph against Switzerland, and was Dani Olmo's last-ditch goal-line clearance away from scoring a last-minute equalizer against Spain in the final. And Foden doesn't just see Guehi as a defender, he also sees him as a leader.
Speaking on the official English YouTube channel during the European Championship, the Manchester City ace said: “He [Guehi] has been a leader.
“I know him well because obviously I've played with him and he's not impressed by anything. I feel like he's come into the team and shown his qualities.”
Palace were waiting for £60million when the Blues expressed interest in signing Guehi, who has an 18-month contract at Selhurst Park this month. However, according to GiveMeSport, Chelsea are keen to wait until the summer to make a move, especially after Trevoh Chalobah was recalled from Palace.
The Blues have suffered a minor injury crisis in their backline, with Wesley Fofana in danger of missing the rest of the season and Benoit Badiashile injuring his thigh. Levi Colwill was also ruled out of the Blues' 3-1 home win over Wolves on Monday evening.
But while Maresca admitted he is happy with the centre-backs at the club, the Italian admitted before the recent 1-1 draw away to Palace that he is an admirer of Guehi. Maresca said: “All I can say is that Marc Guehi is a Palace player.
“I certainly like Marc, but he is not our player. But I also like the central defenders we have. I also like different types of central defenders in Italy, Spain and France, but that doesn't mean we are going to buy a player buy.
“I think it is a normal situation when you have injured central defenders, that there is speculation. At the same time, there is nothing wrong with that.”
Chalobah enjoyed an impressive return in his first game at Stamford Bridge. The Cobham graduate was presented with the man of the match award after a solid performance alongside Fulham summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo.
He would also have been the scorer of Chelsea's second goal had Noni Madueke not tipped his header into the back of the net from a yard out.
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