One of the bigger stories of the January transfer window was Chelsea’s reported chase for Crystal Palace and England centre half Marc Guehi, but it all got a little bit complicated when the Stamford Bridge outfit unexpectedly recalled Selhurst Park loanee Trevoh Chalobah.
Chelsea’s decision was driven by the injuries they suffered, but the timing from a Palace perspective was awful and it has created some bad blood which obviously put the idea of a Guehi switch very much on the backburner.
Whilst many presumed Chalobah was prioritised as he already knew the club well and Guehi may have needed a settling in period having initially left them a number of years ago, as well as leaving manager Enzo Maresca with a selection headache come the end of the campaign when everyone was fit, most expected them to return over the summer but it now seems that they will have real competition for the 24 year old’s services from London rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Both clubs have had their (on and off pitch) issues in the last couple of seasons, but Chelsea would certainly have considered themselves in pole position and with little love lost between the two sides, a real transfer battle at the end of the campaign could be intriguing entertainment for the neutrals.
Alongside the Chalobah tensions with Palace, Chelsea also made a reported late swoop for Mathys Tel and they tried to hijack his drawn out move to Spurs on deadline day, so that adds another string to potential future negotiations and more hardline stand points being taken.
Both clubs have valid reasons for being interested in the 22 international cap, and they are probably not the only two clubs that will be sniffing round him come the end of the 2024/25 season, Spurs were however, the only side to make a formal offer last month although it was rejected.
It also needs to be remembered that by the summer he will be into the final 12 months of his contract and Palace will likely be in the position of looking to cash in on him, as a new deal is very unlikely given the interest he is courting, and it is already being claimed that Guehi has let it known that he would prefer a move to Stamford Bridge over the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It is the safe and educated guess given he came through their youth Academy and initially spent 14 years with them, but there will certainly be those that argue Guehi should be setting his sights higher.