Guehi ‘would be playing left-back for Liverpool’ if they had paid Crystal Palace £5m more

Marc Guehi was denied a deadline-day move to Liverpool, for whom he would currently “be playing at left-back” had the Reds offered just £5m more to Crystal Palace for his services.

Palace are currently just one point behind Liverpool in the Premier League as a dramatic slump from the reigning champions has seen Arne Slot’s side lose five of their last six top flight games to all but put paid to their chances of retaining their title.

They’ve already conceded 17 goals this term having let in just 41 across the whole of last season as they count the cost of failing to secure Guehi’s signing.

Former Everton, Sunderland and Scotland midfielder Don Hutchison believes Guehi would currently be playing at left-back over summer signing Milos Kerkez, who’s really struggled, and veteran Andy Robertson, had he made the move to Anfield in the summer.

And Hutchinson reckons Liverpool will be regretting not paying Palace a tiny bit more to land the 25-year-old, and wonders if they may now have missed their chance.

He told sportscasting.com: “They’ve blown their chances of landing him. One million percent. I mean, I’d love to be a fly on the wall at Liverpool when they didn’t get the Guehi deal done. Let’s just say Crystal Palace wanted £45 million. Liverpool should have given them £50m, because they’re going to have Marc Guehi for six years. They should have just paid the money.

“When I compare Liverpool to Arsenal, I see two proper men and two proper guys that won’t be bullied in Calafiori and Timber, alongside Saliba and Gabriel. So you’ve got four centre backs across there. If Mark Guehi was at Liverpool now he’d be playing at left-back and you’d be Konate, Van Dijk, Bradley and Guehi, and you’d be thinking crikey, that’s pretty versatile.