In Focus: Guehi flying high with the Eagles is bad news for Chelsea

Chelsea are facing a defensive crisis this summer — and they may have already sold the solution to their problems.

Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are all out of contract at the end of the season and could be on their way out of Stamford Bridge.

If all three do leave, the Blues could end up regretting their decision to sell Marc Guehi to Crystal Palace for £18million last July.

The 21-year-old centre-back has been in fine form for the Eagles and will be looking to show his former club what they are missing when they visit Selhurst Park this afternoon.

Let go too soon?

Many of Chelsea’s youngsters and fringe players spend considerable time out on loan before being let go altogether — so it was something of a surprise to see Guehi leave on a permanent transfer.

And the England Under-21s international is already making the fee Palace paid to secure his services look like something of a steal.

Guehi’s only two senior appearances for the Blues — who he joined as a schoolboy having been coached by one of their scouts while playing for Cray Wanderers — came in the Carabao Cup in 2019-20.

Mixed emotions

While accepting that leaving Chelsea was probably the correct decision, Guehi has admitted it was not an easy one to make.

Speaking last October, he said: “It was always a tough decision, leaving your boyhood club where you’ve played for so long.

“To leave was difficult, but for me, I thought it was the right decision to come to a club like Palace, where the direction they’re going in is to give players like myself the opportunity to live out their dream and express themselves.

“I’m really glad I’m here and as I said, I think it was the right decision.

“It was the appeal of playing Premier League football regularly that attracted me, the appeal of the manager and the fact that this club is a really stable club.”

Swansea success

Despite departing permanently sooner than might have been expected, Guehi still had a loan spell away from Stamford Bridge — spending 18 months with Championship side Swansea between January 2020 and May 2021.

A regular during his time at the Liberty Stadium, the Ivory Coast-born defender helped Steve Cooper’s side reach the play-offs for two seasons running.

Unfortunately for Guehi and the Swans, they fell short on both occasions — losing to Brentford in the semi-finals in 2020 and then the final last term.

Making his Marc

Palace are having a solid season under Patrick Vieira — and Guehi has been key to their improving fortunes, missing only one of their 24 league games so far.

His consistently strong performances have undoubtedly helped the Eagles tighten up their defence.

In 2020-21, they conceded 66 goals at an average of 1.74 per game. But that average is down to 1.46 (35 goals conceded) so far this term.

And the South London side’s No6 has shown he can also be a threat at the other end of the pitch, with three goals in all competitions.

A calming presence

A calm defence is a happy defence — and Guehi’s composure seems to have had a positive impact on Palace’s backline.

Committing only 0.39 fouls per 90 minutes — the 10th-lowest rate among Premier League centre-backs this term — he does not tend to make rash decisions when it comes to going in for challenges.

Perhaps his only major slip-up came at Elland Road last November when a clumsy handball in stoppage time handed Leeds a match-winning penalty.

Guehi’s assuredness on the ball has also stood out — especially as a right-footer often playing as the left-sided centre-back — and only 13 Premier League central defenders have averaged more completed passes per 90 minutes than his 57.61 this season.