"That's why they did not get him" - Ex-Chelsea star slams Liverpool; explains why Guehi will be 'fine' despite transfer collapse

Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi was at the centre of a dramatic twist on summer transfer deadline day after his move to Liverpool collapsed at the eleventh hour. The Englishman has been a long-term target for the Reds, who reached an agreement with Palace over a £35 million transfer with an additional 10 per cent sell-on clause included as part of the package.

Guehi successfully underwent his medical, but Oliver Glasner and Palace decided to pull the plug on the deal after failing to sign Igor Julio from Brighton & Hove Albion as his replacement. Notably, Julio then completed a loan move to West Ham United.

In the wake of the transfer saga that left Guehi stranded in south London, former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley commented on the defender's situation. He believes that Guehi will be fine in the long run, and backed the England international to seal a 'huge' move in the next 10 months.

Burley said on ESPN FC:

“Marc Guehi will be fine and I’ll tell you why. He can do six months at Crystal Palace and leave in January or he’ll do 10 months, whatever it is, and he will leave on a free transfer. Guehi is in his mid twenties, he’s not even at the peak years of his career. He has got plenty of money in the bank in that sense. He will get a huge move, it’s just that he hasn’t got what he wanted now.

Burley also explained why Guehi did not kick up a fuss about joining Liverpool like Alexander Isak, touching upon how the player's contract situation plays into his own hands.

“Alexander Isak was on a long-term contract. So that’s why Isak was kicking and stomping because he thought he was going to be stuck there because he signed a six-year contract three years ago. Guehi is different because there will be an unbelievable amount of takers for him next summer on a free transfer.

However, Burley was critical of how Liverpool handled the negotiations for Guehi. The former Scotland international went on to claim that the Premier League champions should have sealed the deal several weeks ago instead of leaving it so late. Burley believes Guehi would have been a Liverpool player if they had given Palace enough time to find a replacement.

He concluded:

“But what I don’t understand is, if Liverpool really wanted him, they had to give Crystal Palace time. Why are they on deadline day trying to make a move everybody has been talking about for six weeks? If they wanted this deal, it wasn’t super expensive because of his contract situation, they should have sat down and gotten this deal done before the Community Shield. Liverpool did not do it and that’s why they did not get him.”

Liverpool, who signed Isak for a British record transfer fee of £125 million on deadline day, took their 2025 summer spending spree to £416.2 million excluding add-on fees.

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"I want to create history" - Alexander Isak reacts to joining Liverpool in record transfer

After what has been a tumultous few weeks, Alexander Isak finally completed his move to Liverpool on deadline day. The Sweden international was adamant about joining the Reds, and had opted to sit out of pre-season preparations, before refusing to be a part of the team when the Premier League season kicked off.

Newcastle eventually opened the door for Isak to leave the club after they sealed deals for Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa. Soon after signing a six-year contract at Anfield, Isak spoke of his aspirations on Merseyside.

Isak told Liverpool's website:

"I want to create history. I want to win trophies. That’s ultimately the biggest motivation for me and I feel like this is the perfect place for me to grow even further and to take my game to the next level and help the team as well.

"I feel like this is the next step for me in my career. I’m super-happy that I’ve been given this chance and I’m very motivated to do something well with it."

Liverpool made it three wins out of three games in the Premier League after beating Arsenal 1-0 on Sunday. Arne Slot's men face newly-promoted Burnley away from home on September 14, when the Premier League returns after the international break.