An update has emerged on Liverpool’s plans to add another central defender to their squad ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign…
Is Marc Guehi joining Liverpool?
According to Football Insider, the Reds are now eyeing a swoop for Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi during the summer transfer window, as FSG attempt to further bolster Jurgen Klopp’s side.
The report claims that they are ready to battle it out with the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, and Newcastle United to land the England international’s signature in the coming weeks.
However, it is also stated that the Eagles are set to demand a fee in the region of £60m and that their current asking price makes a deal difficult for teams to complete.
How good is Marc Guehi?
The 22-year-old is a right-footed central defender who could come in to compete with the likes of Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, and Ibrahima Konate for a spot at the back.
His arrival could allow Klopp to brutally ditch Nat Phillips, who he previously hailed as “insane”, from the squad this summer, amid interest in his services from Dutch side Feyenoord.
Reporter James Pearce recently Tweeted: “Dutch champions Feyenoord are interested in Nat Phillips, who is valued by LFC at around £10m.”
The German head coach must take advantage of the Eredivisie team’s desire to sign the defender by green-lighting his exit before signing Palace’s Guehi as the 26-year-old’s replacement.
Phillips only made two Premier League appearances during the 2022/23 campaign, with an average Sofascore rating of 6.85, and was sent out on loan to Bournemouth in the Championship for the second half of the 2021/22 season.
His lack of game time last term coupled with the manager’s willingness to send him to the second tier of English football suggests that there is no immediate plan for him to be involved as a regular in the first-team.
At the age of 26, now could be the perfect time to cash in on Phillips as he has been unable to develop to a point where Klopp is comfortable with him playing week-in-week-out at Anfield.
The signing of Guehi would allow the boss to sanction an exit as the Palace battler is a proven Premier League performer who could come in to compete with the current first-choice options.
Last season, the ex-Chelsea prospect averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.94 across 37 league appearances and won 63% of his individual duels, which shows that the English titan can dominate opposition attackers by winning the majority of his physical contests.
Meanwhile, Virgil van Dijk (7.10) was the only Liverpool centre-back to average a higher Sofascore rating than 6.90. This suggests that Guehi, who was once dubbed a “tank” by former England U21 teammate Joe Bursik, is a player with the potential to be one of Klopp’s best options in that position.
As you can see in the graphic above, as provided by Opta, the Eagles colossus excels at winning the ball back for his team and was among the best centre-backs in that department last term, which is another reason he could be an exciting addition for the Reds.
Therefore, FSG must fend off competition from Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle to secure the England international’s signature as he could be a fantastic signing, who would also allow Klopp to ditch Phillips this summer.
