Originally Posted by
Crimson Dynasty
That's what I thought too, but in the aftermath, and with the news and information that has since come out, it wouldn't have mattered one jot if we had bid earlier or higher.
This was Palace' incompetence (and Glasner selfishness) all the way.
There was an understanding between both clubs that Guehi was done at Palace and that there was only one destination he would go to if he left in this transfer window and that was us. (Spurs made an inquiry to try to acquire him and were told the player's position was Liverpool or see out his contract and leave on a free at the end of the season. This was despite Palace's hope of stoking a bidding war between them and us to drive up the price we had already offered. Newcastle were apparently also interested, and despite both clubs offering Champions League football (which he really wants to play in), and starting spots (which we're not guaranteeing), he still wanted Liverpool and no other club*. ....more on that)
Guehi was (and is) a professional so we wasn't going to stir up a hornet's nest and stomp his feet (but then again, his position was much different from Isak's, since Isak had only recently signed a 6 year extension with Newcastle and stood a real likelihood of getting trapped there against his wishes, while Guehi always had an 'out' at the end of the season. So he didn't really have to cause a ruckus).
And they used that against him.
Glasner comes into the picture.
Turns out that Glasner is also on the final year of his contract and like Guehi has so far declined to sign and extension (even tough according to club sources they were more positive on him signing one later on during the season than Guehi, whom they knew was off for certain).
Glasner didn't like Palace's transfer activity this window - lots of high profile player exits, highlighted most recently by Eze going to Arsenal, and also facing the club captain leaving too - with no notable replacements coming in, other than teenagers not ready for the firing line.
He pointed this out to the chairman and after Eze left, he made it clear that Guehi couldn't leave without a replacement being brought in first. ( a decent, ready-to-play replacement).
Which is a fair position for any club to take.
Guehi was informed of this and also assured that the club was doing everything they could to find a replacement and that he'd get his move since it was also in the club's best interest because at least they'd recoup 35 Million from us to put into further reinforcements.
Which, to be fair also seemed reasonable and makes sense.
Their first choice replacement deal they'd lined up (Akanji) fell through and the back-up choice they wanted on loan for the season (Igor Julio) at the last minute chose to go to the Hammers instead. At that point Palace were still willing to let Guehi go and even informed our club as much and that their position hadn't changed, as he was being prepped for his medical with all the personal terms already sorted.
Glasner then threw a strop and told their chairman that if Guehi was sold he too would walk.
Losing a club captain and not replacing them (after already having lost one of their talismanic forwards) would be bad enough.
But losing the manager that brought them silverware for the first time in eons too, along with all that would be something they probably wouldn't stand much chance of surviving from a PR standpoint with the fans so Parish vetoed the deal at the last minute.
The understanding is that Guehi is upset by all this since it looks like his professionalism was used against him to make him the sacrificial lamb in their own disorganization and seeming incompetence. But he's not going to kick up a fuss about it and is prepared to see out the entire season if need be and leave at the end where he'll be guaranteed to get even higher wages as a free agent.
Unless he opts to come to us in January (....again....assuming Palace get their act together in getting replacement by then), or alternatively sign pre-acceptance offer then but join us in the summer.
Lots of things could happen by then.
Their league form could precipitously drop and they could be not just out of the Conference league and domestic cups competition, but also facing a fight to stay up, which may or may not change their minds about holding on to him. Or it could do the opposite.
The point is, unless they had gotten their replacement earlier, it wouldn't have mattered if we bid for him back in June or July. And they didn't seem to believe there was any urgency to replacing him back then (for whatever reason), .....until their lined-up replacement deals fell through.
We couldn't control or affect any of that.
Just like with Isak and Newcastle.
Sometimes you just can't put it on our club officials what is ultimately the bungling incompetence of other clubs that know they have players who want to leave and will be leaving but make little effort nor have that much urgency in replacing them.
Isak got a lot of flak for how he carried himself out to get his exit, but we can now see from Guehi the danger of leaving your future and your plans in the hands of a club that's already proven themselves not to be very good at handling their own affairs let along yours.
Newcastle would have been happy to drag their legs all the way to the close of the final day of the window and then hold up their hands and shrug their shoulders and say "Ooops! Look we tried, but there simply was no one available that wanted to come to us".
I believe it was Isak's actions that forced them into being more serious about replacing him or getting a replacement signed and the fact that they let him go for 25 million less than they wanted (and only 15 mill more than our initial offer) says it all.
The sad thing for Palace is that Glasner's still leaving them for a better prospect at the end of the season, (wouldn't surprise me if he ended up at the Scum) like Guehi will - after having screwed them out of a transfer fee for Guehi.
(*If I have to say one thing about the club in this transfer window is that they either got or went after players who only wanted to come to us and no other club even when other options (with potentially better offerings) were available. FRom Wirtz turning down Bayern, to Ekitike informing Newcastle that he was leaving for no other club other than us, to Guehi seemingly turning down automatic starting positions in a World Cup year at Spurs and Newcastle to come compete for one with us. It feels,.....oddly weird to be seen by players of other clubs as a club they want to come to and nowhere else. I saw on AFTV some debate about how they should have bid for Isak and how they felt they had enough to get him with the "playing in London" factor in their favour. But even they knew in their heart-of-hearts (and they admitted as much), that Isak wasn't going to choose to play for Arteta over playing for Slot). It feels,.....nice. )
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