Palace missed the deadline to get their affairs in order regarding multi-club ownership as those reminders were sent to a generic address: [email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n When it came to the final hours of the summer transfer window, with a \u00a335 million fee reluctantly agreed for the sale of their captain, chairman Steve Parish was allegedly unreachable as he attended a fitness class in Soho.<\/p>\n The insistence of manager Oliver Glasner, who is claimed to have threatened resignation if Guehi left, led to a last-hour decision to pull out of the deal.<\/p>\n Guehi was left furious, having believed he was cleared to join the Premier League<\/a> champions, while Palace are now facing the conundrum of an unsettled captain and a manager who is clearly not fully committed beyond the year remaining on his contract.<\/p>\n Palace have strengthened Liverpool\u2019s bargaining power<\/p>\n Both Glasner and Guehi\u2019s deals expire at the same time: as it stands, on July 1, 2026 they will be free to begin new employment.<\/p>\n That makes the decision to keep the defender all the more confusing, though Glasner was rightly adamant that he could not leave if Palace were not in a position to sign an adequate replacement.<\/p>\n Though the uncertainty over which European competition they would enter this season clearly clouded the landscape, Palace had long enough to not only acknowledge Guehi\u2019s desire to join Liverpool but also to identify and recruit his successor.<\/p>\n Now they are forced to muddle through a busier-than-ever campaign not knowing if they can rely on the dedication of one of their most important players.<\/p>\n Liverpool, meanwhile, can be safe in the knowledge that Guehi wanted them and only them, and that his market value will only diminish in the months to come.<\/p>\n They could feasibly return to the table in January, likely for a reduced fee, but those in the Anfield hierarchy will also be aware that, so long as they remain confident in his commitment, they could simply sign him for free next summer.<\/p>\n For many, Guehi would have been seen as a luxury signing for the time being, given the quality already in Arne Slot<\/a>\u2018s centre-back ranks.<\/p>\n Virgil van Dijk<\/a> and Ibrahima Konate<\/a> were one of the best pairings in Europe last season and that is unlikely to change despite the Frenchman\u2019s early-season wobble, while Joe Gomez<\/a> stayed beyond the deadline to provide a reliable option when fit.<\/p>\n But it is Liverpool\u2019s initial \u00a326 million move for Italian youngster Giovanni Leoni<\/a> earlier in the summer which really settles the nerves.<\/p>\n Liverpool\u2019s faith in Leoni<\/p>\n Such is the belief in the 18-year-old \u2013 who like Guehi was minded to turn down advances from other top clubs as he prioritised Anfield \u2013 that suggestions of a loan back to Parma were immediately ruled out.<\/p>\n Leoni is yet to feature for Slot\u2019s side and was left out of the squad for the 1-0 win over Arsenal<\/a>, but he is considered a genuine first-team option and will be expected to provide competition to the established order as the season goes on.<\/p>\n With Gomez denied a move to AC Milan<\/a> on deadline day as there was deemed not enough time to finalise, Slot could have been left to work with five senior centre-backs if Guehi had joined.<\/p>\n The word luxury is clearly not a negative one, but the head coach may have found it trickier to keep all three of Guehi, Leoni and Gomez happy behind the first-choice partnership of Van Dijk and Konate.<\/p>\n Moreover, the Dutchman was already comfortable knowing that he may be required to turn to one of Wataru Endo<\/a>, Ryan Gravenberch<\/a> or Andy Robertson<\/a> as centre-back options in an emergency.<\/p>\n That situation is likely to change if Guehi arrives either in January or next summer, with Liverpool aware of Gomez\u2019s willingness to pursue opportunities elsewhere and hopefully having more clarity by then over Konate\u2019s own future.<\/p>\n Next summer is the focus<\/p>\n Like Guehi, Konate has now entered the final year of his contract, and though he is less equivocal over leaving there are no guarantees the Frenchman will put pen to paper as talks rumble on and Real Madrid<\/a>\u2018s interest looms.<\/p>\n It could be that Liverpool impose a deadline of sorts on Konate\u2019s decision, knowing they could effectively replace him with Palace\u2019s No. 6.<\/p>\n But there will also be a desire to include both in Slot\u2019s squad for years to come, particularly as Van Dijk\u2019s new deal only runs to 2027, by which point he will be almost 36.<\/p>\n Next summer is really the point in which Liverpool need to bring in another top-level centre-back, and the obvious choice in that regard remains Guehi \u2013 a player who could both partner Van Dijk and act as his long-term successor.<\/p>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025-08-10-349-Community_Shield_HM-1-600x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/P2025-08-10-Community_Shield-79-600x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/P2025-08-25-Newcastle_Liverpool-33-600x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"LIVERPOOL,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/P2025-08-31-Liverpool_Arsenal-5-600x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"LIVERPOOL,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025-08-31-109-Liverpool_Arsenal-600x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"LONDON,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2025-08-10-079-Community_Shield-1-600x400.jpg\")
<\/p>\n