Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images

Liverpool Supporters Are Right To Be Furious After Failed Guéhi Transfer

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Sean Hartnett | Last updated Jan 16, 2026 4:05 PM ET

Liverpool made a tremendous blunder by their mishandling of the pursuit of England international defender Marc Guéhi… twice.

Incredibly, the Reds’ inaction led Guéhi straight into the arms of Pep Guardiola and rivals Manchester City for a reported £20 million transfer fee.

Signing a top-class center-back should have been priority No. 1 for Liverpool in the 2025 summer, but sporting director Richard Hughes waited until the last minute, and the £35 million transfer collapsed.

Guéhi should have been lining up alongside Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defense. He wanted to come to Anfield, and he gave Liverpool his word. The 6-foot defender should have been signed, sealed and delivered.

Now, he’ll be central to City’s plans, and his presence in a sky blue shirt will haunt Liverpool supporters for years to come.

It was absolutely clear that Liverpool needed another center-back and especially one who could be the eventual heir apparent to van Dijk.

Liverpool Made a Complete Mess in Botching the Guéhi Transfer

Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool embraces Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace after the 2025 FA Community Shield match between Crystal Palace and Liverpool at Wembley Stadium on August 10, 2025, in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Hughes should have bumped up his bid to get the deal across the line too long before deadline day to ensure Guéhi’s arrival at Anfield – and the extra time and added cash would have allowed Crystal Palace the necessary time to find his replacement.

Instead, Hughes made a total mess of the situation.

Hughes was given a second chance to sign Guéhi in January at a reduced transfer fee. Again, he let the opportunity pass.

Liverpool supporters won’t buy the narrative that City are operating in a different stratosphere when it comes to wage demands, and that’s why they weren’t able to sign Guéhi in January.

That may have been true during the Klopp era, but Liverpool’s £450 million summer spending shows that Liverpool has the cash to splash. Even if that was the case, Hughes should have been on the phone besting City’s bids so their rivals didn’t get Guéhi for a cool £20 million bargain.

This one is going to haunt Liverpool. It's truly hard to understand why Hughes let this transfer slip through his fingers... twice.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: