Newcastle United proved right in £70m Marc Guehi transfer miss amid Crystal Palace struggles

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Newcastle United’s 2024 summer transfer window will be remembered for their protracted - and eventual failed - attempts to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace.

After an impressive end to the season under Oliver Glasner and a good Euro 2024, Guehi was a man in demand and when interest from Tyneside made headlines, many were excited about the prospect of him playing in black-and-white. And that excitement continued throughout August, until the final days of the window when it became clear Guehi would remain at Crystal Palace.

The immediate fallout from the summer window in the north east surrounded their failed attempts to land Guehi and the manner in which their transfer interest played out in public. During August, Steve Parish spoke openly about the defender and revealed that it would take ‘superstar’ money to tempt Palace into selling Guehi. That money was not forthcoming from the Magpies.

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Over a month on from the summer window, though, Newcastle’s failure to sign Guehi doesn’t seem to be the catastrophic missed opportunity it appeared on August 31. Palace, who ended the season in terrific form under Glasner, are yet to win a Premier League game so far this campaign and sit in the relegation zone.

Guehi, meanwhile, endured a difficult start to the season although his performances have improved in recent weeks. Newcastle United, on the other hand, have lost just once in the league this season - that match marking the only time they have conceded more than once in any match to date.

Fabian Schar, Dan Burn, Emil Krafth and Lloyd Kelly have all played at centre-back this season and they have shown throughout the campaign to be a much better defensive unit than throughout most of last season where they were being carved open almost at will at times.

Of course, Guehi would have strengthened that back line, but forking out the kind of ‘superstar’ money Palace were demanding on him would have been a very strange decision, particularly in a world of PSR. Guehi has entered the final two years of his contract at Selhurst Park and by the time the January transfer window opens, will be approaching the final 18 months.

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Very few players in world football would command a fee north of even £60m once they had entered the final year-and-a-half of their contract, never mind the £70m figure that was being suggested Newcastle would have to pay for him. Guehi’s value will likely drop significantly if not in winter, but certainly next summer as the threat of him leaving on a free transfer increases.

This could be a deal Newcastle United look to revisit in January and they would be able to expect to pay a lower fee than they would have had they signed him in August. But before that window opens, they need to ensure all their transfer ducks are in order to avoid a repeat of their underwhelming summer window.

Right now, missing out on signing Guehi this summer has not impacted Newcastle United too much and could be one they look back on in the future, whether they ultimately end up securing his signature or not, as a financial deal they did well to avoid.

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