Marc Guéhi completed a £20m move to Manchester City from Crystal Palace on Monday, with Pep Guardiola describing him as a high-class defender who is the “perfect age” and will provide an immediate boost owing to injuries.
The 25-year-old England international signed a five and a-half year contract worth about £300,000 a week after an agreement was reached on Friday.
Guardiola said: “He’s a top central defender playing with the national team. Thanks to the club for bringing him here. He has the perfect age for many years and can play right, left.”
With the frontline defenders Rúben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol injured, Guéhi’s arrival is timely. “I know how he wanted to choose us and help with the problems that we have in the back in the next few months so it’s really important he’s here,” Guardiola said.
Guéhi said: “This move feels like the culmination of all the hard work I have put into my career. I am now at the best club in England and part of an unbelievable squad of players.” Guéhi’s former club Chelsea are due 20% of the fee, as part of the package that took him to Palace in 2021.
City are at Bodø/Glimt for Tuesday’s penultimate Champions League league stage game. Guardiola’s team are fourth, only one point ahead of Liverpool in ninth, with next week’s visit of Galatasaray closing the phase. The top eight go straight into the last-16 phase and, with Guardiola focused on finishing as high as possible, he trained the squad on the artificial pitch at the Norwegian club’s Aspmyra Stadion on Monday night. It was a departure from his usual practice of training at City the day before a European match. He is clear the pitch does not offer an excuse.
“Life is never a red carpet,” he said. “The quicker you adapt to uncomfortable situations the closer you are to success. If I start to cry because of this we don’t achieve what we did in the past. Of course it is different – that’s why we train the night before when we have never done that before. We have to see how the ball bounces, how the short passes and long passes [play].”
Guardiola was asked about Saturday’s 2-0 derby defeat at Manchester United. “Tomorrow is another game, another competition and I look forward,” he said. “The schedule is so demanding. Carlos Alcaraz is one of the best tennis players in history and I read an interview with him before the Australian Open that said what I cannot imagine for me: he had nine weeks resting. We don’t have that. We have mental fatigue, we don’t have time to train, while Carlos Alcaraz is changing a bit of his serve.”
Guardiola was asked whether Oscar Bobb would be at City when the window closes. “I don’t have an idea,” said the manager. “He says he’s not fit so he’s not fit at the moment.”
Bodø’s location within the Arctic Circle means the aurora borealis can often be seen. Guardiola said: “I was in Oslo and Lofoten one year ago and it is top. I’m not a scientist to analyse why it appears in the sky. Now I just admire it. With a glass of red wine it is even better. I will be in the hotel tonight with big windows and will enjoy it. Why should I not see the sky and see how beautiful the universe is?”
