Marc Guehi was left in the dark by Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish over his move to Liverpool until the final hour of deadline day for a bizarre reason.
Guehi had undergone his medical ahead of a proposed £35 million switch to Anfield on the final day of the transfer window only for Palace to pull the plug last minute.
The London club were unwilling to part ways with their captain having failed to sign an adequate replacement and with manager Oliver Glasner indicating he would quit if Guehi was sold.
But the matter was made worse by Palace co-owner and chairman Parish not being able to attend a meeting with Guehi and his advisors until 6pm because he was taking part in a fitness class.
According to BBC Sport‘s Sami Mokbel, Parish was attending a class in Soho, in the heart of London, meaning any final communication over a move was delayed until the very end of deadline day.
Liverpool were required to file a deal sheet with the Premier League in order to extend the deadline by two hours to 9pm, only to be told the transfer was off at around 7.45pm.
Clearly, the club’s chief decision-maker not being available for the most crucial period did not help either Palace or Liverpool.
It would also have damaged any chances of signing a replacement for Guehi in time, though the Eagles were already unsuccessful in moves for the likes of Ousmane Diomande, Manuel Akanji and, late on, Igor Julio.
The Guardian‘s Ed Aarons reports that the 25-year-old is “extremely unhappy” with Palace’s decision to U-turn on a deal.
A farewell video package for Guehi had already been produced and Liverpool officials were in place to travel with the defender up to Merseyside to finalise the transfer.
Aarons reports that the situation has left the England international contemplating whether to relinquish the Palace captaincy.
The call to deny Guehi his move has even been poorly received by others in the squad, with the player of the belief that he conducted himself properly throughout negotiations – contrasting to actions of the likes of Alexander Isak, Viktor Gyokeres and Yoane Wissa.
Liverpool are expected to renew their interest in the centre-back as early as January, knowing that with only five months left on his contract by that point his value will only have dropped further.
But they will also be aware that they could sign Guehi on a free transfer in the summer – though that would risk competing with lucrative offers from elsewhere.
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