The Guardiola move that may tip title scales in City’s favor over Arsenal

It was a market opportunity unlike almost any seen in recent years in the Premier League. Marc Guéhi, a full England international and the captain who lifted the first two trophies in Crystal Palace’s history, was entering the final months of his contract. Liverpool thought they had him wrapped up last summer and Real Madrid had his name penciled in for this coming window. Instead, Manchester City moved first in January.

Initially signed out of necessity following injuries to Rúben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, the 25-year-old’s arrival may well have altered City’s season for the better.

That Guéhi was already regarded as one of the Premier League’s standout center backs was no secret. What few at the Etihad Stadium could have anticipated was how swiftly he would establish himself as the defensive “Káiser” and leader of the back line – all for just €23 million, roughly $25 million. The numbers speak for themselves: seven games under Pep Guardiola, zero defeats for Manchester City.

His impact has been immediate and emphatic – six wins, one draw and four clean sheets. City have even won the two games in which he did not feature. In the meantime, they have clawed back ground on Arsenal in the title race and, as Real Madrid’s opponent in the Champions League round of 16, advanced to the FA Cup fifth round thanks to Guéhi’s first goal for his new club.

“He’s a fantastic player, you can see it. A great, great, great signing for Manchester City for the next five, six, seven, eight years. He’s top class. It’s not just his skills, it’s his mentality, his professionalism, the way he lives. He has so many, many things that make him a good, good central defender, beyond his abilities,” Guardiola said recently of the defender.

There was a reason Oliver Glasner threatened to resign if Crystal Palace sold him last summer. It also explains Guardiola’s frustration at being unable to call on his new defensive leader for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on Sunday, March 22. Having already featured in the competition for Palace earlier this season, Guéhi is cup-tied and cannot partner Rúben Dias at Wembley Stadium.

Both he and Antoine Semenyo have settled instantly at the Etihad – as if they had been playing under Guardiola for years. For Guéhi, it had always been “a dream” to be coached by the Catalan: “He has improved my game enormously. When you have a manager, coaching staff and teammates so obsessed with standards, your game reaches new heights. I hope to keep going like this.”

If, as Guardiola put it, Guéhi “chose us,” it was also because City made him one of the best-paid defenders in the league, handing him a contract worth £300,000 a week – about $380,000 – through 2031. That makes him the second-highest-paid center back in the Premier League, behind Virgil van Dijk, and places him among the league’s top 10 earners overall.

Given his performances at Crystal Palace and now at Manchester City, it is hard to fathom why Liverpool did not return with another offer in January, why Chelsea showed no interest in their academy graduate, or why Real Madrid opted against reinforcing their defense with a leader for both the present and the future.

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