Liverpool could sign Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi as replacement for Jarell Quansah, in a move that would make sense for a number of reasons.
With the help of our partners at FotMob, we highlight why Liverpool are pursuing a deal for Guehi this summer.
The price
Firstly, any deal must make financial sense before Liverpool pursue it; unlike their rivals – or those further down the table such as Man United – the club’s owners will not spend unless truly convinced.
That is far from a bad thing, as this summer is proving so far, but it demonstrates why Liverpool are so selective.
Fortunately, Guehi’s situation makes him an ideal candidate: he has one year left on his contract and Crystal Palace appear resolved to sell him in order to recoup a fee.
Reports claim the two sides are likely to reach an agreement at around £40 million, which aligns with Guehi’s market value of €47 million (£40.1m).
Progressive in possession
While the system in place at Palace may not always allow for it, Guehi has proved himself a progressive, ball-playing centre-back throughout his career.
This shows with the 24-year-old’s statistics from last season’s Premier League:
• 0.47 chances created per 90 minutes (top 13% for centre-backs)• 0.35 successful dribbles per 90 (top 24%)• 85.7% dribble success (top 20%)
Not only is Guehi comfortable bringing the ball out of defence but he has shown he can create opportunities for his teammates while doing so.
Duel-winner
Naturally, as a centre-back in a mid-table side, Guehi is proficient in his defensive duties and seems to relish one-on-one duels.
The England international won 4.94 duels on average per 90 in the Premier League last time out, which places him in the top 22 percent of centre-backs.
He is, however, in the bottom 27 percent for overall defensive actions – though Ibrahima Konate is in the bottom 24 percent and Virgil van Dijk the bottom 40 percent.
Excellent in recovery
Guehi is a front-footed defender who is happy operating in a high line, which he has shown in both a back three at Palace and in an outstanding run of performances for England at last summer’s Euros.
His speed and intelligent reading of the game allows him to react quickly to deny attackers with recovery challenges – winning the ball back in dangerous situations.
Throughout the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, he averaged 4.27 recoveries per 90 which places him in the top 26 percent of centre-backs.
For England at the Euros, that average increased to 4.42 recoveries per 90 moving him into the top 23 percent.
Konate, who is more often than not Liverpool’s recovery defender, averaged 3.44 recoveries per 90 last season, though that may be more to do with Arne Slot‘s style of play.
Guehi’s main flaw
One area which could be a concern is Guehi’s height, standing at just under 6′ (182cm), which would make him the shortest centre-back in the Liverpool squad behind Van Dijk (193cm), Konate (192cm) and Joe Gomez (191cm).
That shows in Guehi winning just 44.8 percent of his aerial duels last season, placing him in the bottom 21 percent of centre-backs.
This is considerably lower than all but one of Slot’s centre-backs:
• Virgil van Dijk: 72.1% won• Ibrahima Konate: 70.8% won• Joe Gomez: 69.2% won• Marc Guehi: 44.8% won
Quansah, the player Guehi could replace, was the only centre-back to win a lower percentage of his aerial duels for Liverpool last season (41.2%).
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