Chelsea confirmed the departure of another young academy centre back this summer, with Marc Guehi joining Fikayo Tomori on the permanent departure list.
The defender joined Crystal Palace for a fee that is believed to be at least £18million. Chelsea confirmed the deal late yesterday.
Marc Guehi joins Crystal Palace a fee understood to be at least £18million. #CFC
— Sam Inkersole (@Sam_InkersoleTM) July 18, 2021
Marc Guehi has today signed for Crystal Palace on a permanent deal.
Good luck, Marc! 👊
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 18, 2021
The deal came out of nowhere and surprised many Chelsea fans, myself included. We all expected him to either stay with the squad this season, or perhaps at most go out on another loan. But after just one week of pre-season training, he’s joined Palace on a permanent deal.
There are some clauses in the deal that allows Chelsea to match any bid for him in the future to sign him back, and of course there will be other reasons why they’ve allowed him to go.
Guehi has spoken on the move, and he has explained how emotional it was to make such a big decision and leave a club he has grown up playing at.
Please take a moment to check out my own Chelsea News website, bringing you the latest inside information, weekly Podcasts, and all your general Chelsea news. All FREE content, and FREE to subscribe here!
Via Crystal Palace website, Guehi said:
“It was a big decision for me [to make a permanent move] because I’ve been at Chelsea for such a long time, since the age of seven. Emotionally it was difficult after being at one place for such a long time and knowing that you wont be there.
“I said goodbye to everyone, to the coaches that coached me since I was young and the people that helped me get to this stage. I’m extremely grateful for their help.
“Being at Chelsea really helped me in my development, getting better and helping myself excel.”
