Marc Guéhi has revealed that John Stones and Phil Foden played a central role in convincing the defender to join Manchester City now, rather than wait for Liverpool to come back in for him.
Guéhi became the second January signing for the blue half of Manchester following the earlier capture of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, taking winter spending upwards of £80 million ($109.6 million)—across just three transfer windows going back to January 2025, City have laid out £425.3 million on 12 new first-team players in an attempt to rebuild the squad.
Pep Guardiola’s side could have waited a few months to sign Guéhi as a free agent upon the expiration of his Crystal Palace contract, which would likely have brought Liverpool into the picture after they saw a September deal collapse. Bayern Munich and Real Madrid were also linked, given the opportunity to sign one of the Premier League’s top centre backs without a transfer fee.
But the urgency of the situation at the Etihad Stadium, with Stones, Rúben Dias and Joško Gvardiol all injured, and Nathan Aké forced to have carefully managed minutes, brought everything forward.
“We've been talking for quite a while and obviously talked with different clubs,” Guéhi told reporters following his City debut in Saturday’s 2–0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
“I felt from conversations, through talking with some of the players here, that this was the place for me to improve, to get better and just to help as much as possible. Phil and John, conversations with the manager, conversations with [director of football] Hugo [Viana], so it's been great.”
He has played with both Foden and Stones at international level with England, a teammate of the former in particular since they first played for the U16s team a decade ago.
Guéhi automatically became the senior centre back in the City XI, lining up next to 21-year-old Abdukodir Khusanov and relieving the pressure on 20-year-old Max Alleyne, who dropped to the bench for the much-needed win over Wolves.
Man City, Liverpool Signings Since January 2025
| Man City | Liverpool |
|---|---|
| Abdukodir Khusanov (£33.6 million) | Jeremie Frimpong (£29.5 million) |
| Vitor Reis (£29.6 million) | Florian Wirtz (£116 million) |
| Omar Marmoush (£59 million) | Milos Kerkez (£40 million) |
| Nico González (£50 million) | Giorgi Mamardashvili (£29 million) |
| Rayan Aït-Nouri (£31.8 million) | Hugo Ekitiké (£79 million) |
| Marcus Bettinelli (nominal undisclosed) | Giovanni Leoni (£30 million) |
| Rayan Cherki (£34 million) | Alexander Isak (£125 million) |
| Tijjani Reijnders (£46.3 million) | - |
| James Trafford (£31 million) | - |
| Gianluigi Donnarumma (£26 million) | - |
| Antoine Semenyo (£64 million) | - |
| Marc Guéhi (£20 million) | - |
| Total: £425.3 million | Total: £448.5 million |
Guéhi Was ‘Very Close’ to Joining Liverpool
Had things unfolded slightly differently last summer, Manchester City wouldn’t have had the chance to sign Guéhi this month because he’d already be a Liverpool player.
The reigning Premier League champions were keen on adding his name to their aggressive summer of recruitment coming into the season and agreed a £35 million deal with Palace right at the end of the transfer window. It was on the cusp of being completed, until the Eagles pulled the plug when it became apparent that they wouldn’t be able to secure a replacement before the deadline.
It was assumed that Liverpool, suffering from a lack of centre back depth, as well as the possibility that Ibrahima Konaté could leave as a free agent this coming summer, would go back in for him at some stage. That can no longer happen, but Guéhi said he had been “very close” to joining.
“The medical was pretty much done and then it got pulled at the last minute. So, I was quite close,” he said. “I was okay [about the situation]. My mindset is always move on to the next one … what will be, will be. God has got a plan for me. It was just focus on what I could do for Palace.
“It feels like it’s been going on forever. But I’m just glad that I got the move over the line. I’m really confident this is the place for me to improve, to grow as a player.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Marc Guehi Names Two Players Who Convinced Him to Snub Liverpool.
