Crystal Palace podcaster Dan Cook has been discussing rumoured Eagles signing Marc Guehi amid reports he could be about to sign for the club.
Reports from The Athletic suggest that the England U21 international is on the verge of making the move to Selhurst Park following 18 months on loan with Championship side Swansea City where he proved his usefulness both in defence and attack.
Of players to have started at least one league game, he led the team in interceptions, whilst placing in the top three for both blocks and clearances, on top of also leading the team in pass success rate (via WhoScored).
And it’s those skills that have left Cook impressed, as speaking on the latest edition of the HLTCO Palace podcast, he couldn’t contain his excitement about the prospect of him joining:
“He has always stood out to me as someone that is extremely composed on the ball, someone that’s a very comfortable and adaptable defender, particularly given the fact that, as I say, he’s still only 21 years of age.
“You look at anyone who has that level of poise – in possession, out of possession – in terms of reading the game, being in the right place at the right time. And when they are at that tender an age and they can showcase all of the abilities that Marc Guehi has, it certainly makes you raise your eyebrows.
“And I’m extremely excited to see how he gets on at Crystal Palace, barring any last-minute disasters in terms of the medical.”
TIF Thoughts on Dan Cook’s comments about Marc Guehi and Crystal Palace…
Will Patrick Vieira still be Crystal Palace's manager at the end of the season?
Yes
No
If he lives up to the hype that Cook is placing upon him, then Palace could be onto a real winner. But it should be noted that this is all based on what he has done at Championship level, which, barring one game against Manchester United in the League Cup back in 2019, is the highest level of competition that he’s played in.
And having to make that jump up to the Premier League during a time when Palace are going through a major overhaul both on and off the pitch is a mighty big ask for him to make.
Obviously, new boss Patrick Vieira has a lot of faith in him to splash out a reported fee of up to £20m for him, and hopefully he’ll be able to repay that faith both this season and beyond.
In other news: ‘It’s a little bit awkward’ – Cook drops claim on CPFC 29 y/o after ‘conversations’ with Vieira