A new report from BBC Sport has revealed that there were several reasons why Chelsea went against signing Marc Guéhi, who ended up joining Pep Guardiola's Manchester City after being wanted by the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid. Guéhi is now widely expected to make his Manchester City debut when the Citizens face Wolves in the Premier League on 24th January.
Marc Guéhi's history with Chelsea that's widely unknown
Before becoming a well-known Premier League defender, Marc Guéhi spent his formative years rising through the ranks at Chelsea. He was a key part of the club’s youth setup, regularly playing for the Under-18s during their hugely successful treble-winning season in 2017. His performances earned him his first professional contract in September 2017, signing a three-year deal.
Guéhi continued to impress the following season, helping Chelsea’s Under-18 side secure a historic quadruple and reach the UEFA Youth League final, underlining his reputation as one of the club’s brightest defensive prospects.
His progress was rewarded in May 2019, when he was named in a Premier League matchday squad for the first time, appearing on the bench against Leicester City. Although he did not make a league appearance, he was included as an unused substitute several times during the 2019–20 season, gaining valuable first-team exposure.
Guéhi finally made his senior debut in September 2019, playing in a commanding 7-1 EFL Cup win over Grimsby Town. He featured once more the following month in a cup defeat to Manchester United, which turned out to be his final appearance for Chelsea.
Despite limited first-team opportunities, Guéhi’s time at the club played a crucial role in shaping his development and laid the foundation for his successful career away from Stamford Bridge.
Why Chelsea decided against signing Marc Guéhi?
Chelsea chose not to pursue a move for Marc Guéhi due to a mix of financial concerns and squad planning issues. One major factor was his reported £300,000-per-week wage, which would have made him the highest-paid player at the club ,even above captain Reece James who earns around £250,000 a week. Chelsea felt this could have disrupted harmony in the dressing room.
The club is also cautious with contracts, as key players such as Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Levi Colwill are expected to push for improved terms. With that in mind, Chelsea were unwilling to set a new wage benchmark by signing Guéhi.
From a footballing perspective, Chelsea believed Guéhi’s profile was "too similar" to Levi Colwill, thus reducing the need for another defender of the same type. Taking all these factors into account, the Blues decided to step away from a January transfer move.
Who will Chelsea sign as Marc Guéhi Alternative?
With a move for Marc Guéhi now completely off the table, the transfer rumours are that Chelsea are targeting Rennes defender Jeremy Jacquet, who is a highly-rated young French defender with huge potential. We'll have to wait and see if the Blues end up signing Jacquet or not.
