Marc Guehi says it has been ‘easy’ to move on from his collapsed deadline day move to Liverpool.
The Crystal Palace defender is not losing any sleep after being denied a £35million switch to Merseyside as the Eagles failed to sign a replacement.
With his deal expiring this summer and a host of top European clubs circling, it would be easy for Guehi’s head to be turned, but he is focused on the task at hand.
Crystal Palace travel to Dynamo Kyiv tonight (playing in Poland) in the Europa Conference League, a competition which Oliver Glasner’s men are among the favourites to win despite this being their debut contintental voyage.
No regrets about Liverpool, then? ‘The sun goes up, the sun goes down, life goes on,’ Guehi told TNT Sports.
‘That’s my mindset, and if you adopt that mindset in most things, you just get on with life and move on.
‘Fortunately for me, I’m at a football club that has helped me and given me so much, so it does make it that much easier.
‘Having my family there the whole time, friends, people who have always been there for me, and then the football club,’ Guehi said.
‘People that you come into work with every single day, staff, team-mates, [are] always there.
‘So when they’re joking and laughing and smiling, it just makes it easy to be honest. It’s been really good in that sense.’
A gracious response from Guehi, and the blow was no doubt made easier by how Palace are thriving – third in the Premier League, 18 games unbeaten – but he would be forgiven for feeling disappointed.
After all, the fee was agreed, he had undergone a medical with Liverpool, and a five-year contract was drawn up. A deal sheet was submitted to the Premier League to buy more time.
But that all fell apart because Palace were unable to secure his successor. That was not entirely their fault. They had lined up Brighton defender Igor Julio for a season-long loan, but he decided he wanted to be a West Ham player instead.
For now, Guehi remains at Palace, but for how long is to be seen. He could leave on the cheap in January or for free in the summer.
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Juventus, and Inter Milan have all been reported as suitors, so he could become the latest English star to move abroad.
Alternatively, Liverpool may go back in for him, and they will be doubly regretting not signing him after £26million signing Giovanni Leoni suffered an ACL injury against Southampton last week. He is expected to be out for at least a few months.
