Ally McCoist lauds Guehi in Alexander Isak comparison after Liverpool move collapsed
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Marc Guehi saw his move to Liverpool collapse during the final stages as Crystal Palace pulled the plug on the deal.
Liverpool submitted a deal sheet for Guehi for the £35 million deal with Crystal Palace, in order to complete the transfer after the 7pm deadline.
However, once Igor Julio’s move to Crystal Palace fell through, the Eagles had little time to search for a Guehi replacement and subsequently decided their captain would not be leaving this summer.
The dramatic U-turn was a significant blow for the Reds, who believed they had finally landed their man after weeks of negotiations – Guehi had even completed a medical in London to ensure there were no further complications.
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When speaking live on talkSPORT, Ally McCoist berated Alexander Isak’s behaviour leading up to his Liverpool transfer before he praised Guehi for being the model professional and he expects the Palace captain to now honour his contract.
“I think he’s done his talking without opening his mouth, and I think he’s been brilliant, I really do.
He’s not opened his mouth, (he’s been) 100% professional, he’s bound to have been disappointed with the outcome because he’s probably thinking to himself, ‘I’m going here this is done.’
“It hasn’t happened for him for whatever reason.
If I’m in Oliver Glasner’s shoes, I’m doing the exact same, but the only thing Marc Guehi has to decide now is whether he signs a contract because they must offer him a contract.
“If you’re Palace, you have to offer him an extension of contract and a very, very lucrative one.
If he’s made up his mind, he’s not signing, he’s going at the end of the season on a free, the one thing I would think, looking at him, you could almost guarantee he will give 100% in training 100% every time he pulls on that Palace jersey.
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“The bottom line is, all he is due to bound to do is honour that contract and he’s the type of guy that will honour it.”
Isak was granted his British record move to Liverpool after constant speculation regarding his future wherein he outright told Newcastle he wanted a transfer to Anfield.
His antics in the build-up to the deadline day move have dominated headlines whereas Guehi continued to captain Palace during concerns over his future, helping the side win the Community Shield and qualify for the Europa Conference League proper.
Oliver Glasner single-handedly stopped Guehi leaving Selhurst Park and while the Eagles have sacrificed a £35m cash influx, they will be able to plan for the rest of the season with the 25-year-old in their plans until January at the very least.
Isak was not the only player to seemingly act out in an attempt to engineer a transfer this summer; Yoanne Wissa eventually secured his move to Newcastle after reportedly refusing to play for Brentford at the beginning of the season.
Considering Guehi bent to Palace’s demands in the hope that he too would get the move he desired this summer, only to have the rug pulled out from under him, is telling of the direction players could be heading.
The precedent has been set this summer: if a player acts out against the club that pays their wages, they will eventually get a transfer.
Hopefully, what occurred is not a sign of things to come, but it does raise the question of whether players in the future will look to Isak and Wissa for inspiration should they find themselves in a similar situation.