Ivan Toney once suggested why Liverpool will really come to regret Marc Guehi transfer failure
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Liverpool’s move for Marc Guehi looked ready to be completed until the 11th hour.
The Reds were keen to bring in a centre-back all summer, preferably even a few, with Crystal Palace’s Guehi at the very top of their list.
The saga dragged out for a little while but right at the very end, it looked as if the Englishman was all set to join the Premier League champions.
A fee was agreed, he completed his medical and Palace even had a farewell video ready to post, but the south London club pulled out at the last minute due to complications with finding a replacement.
The 25-year-old’s quality is clear for all to see, but there is one thing in particular that Ivan Toney once said about Guehi that means Liverpool will be even more gutted that they could not get a deal over the line.
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Toney was one of the toughest strikers in the league during his time at Brentford, with many top clubs vying for his signature before he opted for a move to Saudi Arabia.
He just had a knack of finding space and putting the ball in the back of the net, with the Englishman causing almost every defender big problems throughout his time in the division.
Not Guehi, though.
Toney admitted back in 2024 that the Palace captain was one of the toughest centre-backs he has ever faced and that he would try and avoid him at all costs.
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“He is so strong for a small guy.
I think he is up there with one of the strongest,” Toney said to talkSPORT last year.
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“He would be up there with a tough opponent, sometimes I just drift to the other side where the other centre-back is when he’s playing!”
Toney played against Guehi three times whilst at Brentford, failing to score in any of them as they all ended up in a draw.
There is no doubting Ibrahima Konate’s quality as a whole, but this season, he has been very shaky and targeted on numerous occasions.
Whether that is because he has one eye on a move to Real Madrid in the summer or he is not fully fit just yet, this is an area that has caused the Reds big problems.
So, signing Guehi would have solved this issue according to Toney as strikers would want to avoid him at all costs, but they would also want to do the same with Virgil van Dijk.
His profile, experience, leadership and overall ability would have made him the perfect Liverpool player, and if he did sign, it would have been no surprise if he called himself a Premier League champion come May.
However, that dream will have to wait a little longer as Liverpool will not be signing Guehi in January, instead they are hoping they can see off other competition and sign him on a free transfer next summer.