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The Jarell Quansah deal whilst championed for the amount of money Liverpool got for the young defender actually increased the need for Liverpool to sign a centre-back.

The Virgil Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate pairing, whilst wonderful has miles on the clock.

There is also the point to consider that without Quansah, should an injury occur to Van Dijk or Konate, Liverpool have just one recognised centre-back who has played consistently in the Premier League in Joe Gomez.

Konate’s deal as reported on this website previously, ends in 2026 and there has been murmurs that the Frenchman could possibly leave.

If Konate does decide to leave, the Reds will prefer to get money for him.

With all this to take into consideration, the potential signing of Marc Guehi makes more and more sense.

It could be an opportune time to bid for the English defender.

Crystal Palace dug their heels in when Newcastle United offered £50m for the England international, but Marc Guehi will be a free agent as of next summer.

It’s also a clever way of operating in the market.

A little hat tip to Palace from Liverpool of them knowing the situation.

Defensive Duties

Playing in Oliver Glasner’s Palace side has allowed Marc Guehi to fluorish.

He has gotten used to being the most important defender in a back five, learning about positioning and went to step across and cover for his full-back when Tyrick Mitchell at left-back bombs forward.

Glasner’s Palace are side that prioritises compactness and positioning, Guehi deals with many defensive actions and is used to mainly defending for large portions of the game.

It also massively helps that Guehi has faced the best Premier League strikers since his emergence in the London club under Patrick Vieira.

The Reds won’t have to face a little bedding in period that normally happens with players who haven’t played in the Premier League before.

The aggressive side of his game where he averages 1.79 tackles p90 and 1.62 blocks p90 will come in handy when opponents attempt to catch Liverpool out on the break.

The games where Arne Slot’s side struggled last season were the ones where they were made to defend, against teams like Chelsea and Manchester United where both sides weren’t afraid to have the ball and stride forward.

Normally, it’s much more difficult to do what you did successfully in the first season to the same level, teams will be more savvy and prepare creative plans to be harder to beat vs Liverpool.

Guehi’s defensive ability to head it, kick it and clear it will come in handy if this is to occur.

Distribution from Defence

Konate and Van Dijk aren’t just brilliant because they command their box, they set the tone in build-up?

Constantly recycling the ball or in the Frenchman’s case, striding forward some 30 yard before passing.

Guehi’s distribution, ball-carrying ability and underrated talent to play line-breaking passes will suit Slot’s ‘patient’ attack.

As per stats from fbref and Fotmob, they indicate that Guehi’s strengths with the ball at his feet are progressive carries and progressive passes.

Liverpool are a team that pins teams in their own half and Guehi is a player who isn’t afraid to charge forward from defence with the ball into space whilst teams focus on limiting gaps.

Averaging 3.94 progressive passes p90 and 0.65 progressive carries p90, it’s clear to see that Guehi’s transition from playing in a team that prioritises defence to a team that is tasked with breaking down a low block for most of the game whilst not seamless could absolutely work.

He’s comfortable on the ball, capable of finding attackers whilst under pressure and was a crucial component for a team in getting the ball into attack from defence.

The amount of times he plays it up directly to Jean-Phillipe Mateta or Ismaila Sarr to lead counter-attacks and charge defences is a huge reason why Palace were such a threat last season.

You can picture him doing the same for Mohamed Salah and co.

Marc Guehi has been a revelation for Crystal Palace.

With Quansah’s exit, he would be a good signing both for the present and the future of Liverpool.

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