'I'm sad to say' - Roy Hodgson says if Marc Guehi should have gone on strike to force Liverpool transfer
Crystal Palace stopped Marc Guehi from joining Liverpool in a deal worth £35 million on summer transfer deadline day.
Roy Hodgson has told of his sympathy for Marc Guehi’s transfer to Liverpool hitting the buffers.
The centre-back had his £35 million switch to the Premier League champions pulled at the 11th hour. Guehi had been given permission to undergo a medical with the Reds after Crystal Palace lined-up Igor Julio as their captain’s replacement.
But Julio instead decided to join West Ham United and Palace put paid to Guehi moving to the Reds as they could not find a suitable replacement. That is despite the Eagles skipper entering the final year of his contract and he could leave for free next year. Reports suggest that Palace head coach Oliver Glasner was prepared to resign if Guehi was sold.
What’s been said
And Hodgson, who managed Guehi as Palace boss, admitted he feels ‘really sorry’ for the England international not landing his dream move. Speaking on talkSPORT, the former Eagles and Liverpool chief said: “I worked with him, of course, for a year and a half. I found him as an outstanding individual, not just an outstanding footballer and I suppose that's been shown quite clearly by his behaviour during this long drawn-out saga.
“He is the person I feel really sorry for in this because maybe right at the beginning it had been made clear that his task ahead would be to stay at Crystal Palace then there's no question of leaving then maybe he could have got his head around that.
“Having been led to believe, we have all been led to believe that sooner or later a deal would be done between the two clubs and he'd be allowed to move. I guess his head in the last period of time has been the fact he is going to move but he'll remain very professional and keep on playing for the club despite the uncertainty of when that move will come about.
“He's the loser in the situation. Palace should be the winner because he is such a good player and to have a player of that calibre and your captain and leader still with you should be seen as advantageous. It remains to be seen how upset he may have been by what's happened during these past few hours. The transfer situation could have been sorted out much quicker by both clubs.”
Should Guehi have gone on strike?
Guehi has remained a consummate professional during speculation around his future. He has played in all five of Palace’s games so far this season, leading his team to glory over Liverpool in the Community Shield. But he may have paid the price for not making more noise to force a switch. Alexander Isak refused to play for Newcastle United to earn a switch to Liverpool for £125 million. Yoanne Wissa took a similar stance to join Newcastle from Brentford.
Hodgson saluted Guehi for doing the opposite. However, the former England manager suggested that doing so may have earned his transfer to Anfield. “It's been a part of the game for a long time and it doesn't reflect well on football,” added Hodgson. “The transfer window is becoming an exciting period for the average punter without a particular interest in a club or player and enjoys the saga and the drama and the will it, won't it but it's not good for football.
Being a model professional is the thing to be and I certainly back that wholeheartedly having worked in football with players all my life. But I'm sad to say if you desperately wanted a move, it doesn't look as though it's the right thing to do going forward, it looks like the right thing to do is what Wissa and Isak have done.
“Unfortunately, I don't think it bodes well for the game because people who are desperate for a move will be thinking: 'If I do what Marc Guehi did and play right up to the end, the chances are I won't get the move'. The other thing I would say is it's all very well that it'll happen next year but Liverpool are a very special club, a world-famous club with world-famous stars, they win things, they win championships and have a great possibility of winning the European championship this year. It is not easy to turn that down. OK, I was on my way and done my medical and you're pulling me out, let's move on. I hope he can do it, Marc, but I feel really sorry for him and he doesn't deserve it.”