Crystal Palace signing defender Marc Guehi from Chelsea was a “canny bit of business”, says Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser.
The Eagles managed to snap up Guehi last week in an £18m deal, with The Athletic reporting that director of football Dougie Freedman was the one who spearheaded the pursuit of the 21-year-old.
Guehi made 45 appearances in all competitions last season, helping Swansea City make it all the way to the Championship play-off final during his second loan spell at the Liberty Stadium.
Is Guehi good business?
Yes
No
The English centre-back is yet to feature in the Premier League, so £18m looks like quite the outlay for a youngster untested at that level. Nevertheless, Rosser believes it is still a good deal for Palace. He told TIF:
“Marc Guehi looks to be a canny bit of business, albeit, you know, it’s a fair chunk of their budget that has gone on him. But you can’t really look at what they’re doing this summer and not be impressed.
“They do need a lot more. Obviously, they’ve had a lot of players leave at the end of their contracts, so they do need to step it up. They’re going a lot earlier than a lot of their rivals, which is a good sign.”
After watching the likes of Mamadou Sakho and Gary Cahill leave as free agents, central defence had to be a priority for Palace, so they will surely be pleased that they have managed to get Guehi in and so early.