In a world of Isaks, be Marc Guehi

A major Liverpool deal fell through at the last minute. No, it wasn’t Alexander Isak - he arrived at Anfield—but Mark Guehi won’t be joining.

The Crystal Palace center-back is arguably one of the biggest losers of the final day of the English transfer window. Initially, he was given permission to negotiate and even completed medical checks, but an unexpected twist occurred before signing, and the powerful defender will remain at Selhurst Park.

The reason behind this is the anger of Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner, who was unhappy with the board’s actions in the final hours of the market. Glasner had clearly warned the management that he would resign if Guehi were sold to the Reds, even though he had previously agreed to the transfer.

So, where did it all fall apart?

When he allowed the 25-year-old defender to move on Monday morning, Glasner asked the club to invest part of the money Liverpool would pay (40 million euros plus 10% of a future sale) into three new signings.

He wanted Zayden Canvo from Toulouse, Igor Julio from Brighton, and Strahinja Pavlovic from Milan. Canvo arrived, Pavlovic was never a realistic target as Milan wouldn’t release him, and Brighton allowed Julio to negotiate. Medicals were even arranged for Igor, but after he passed, the former Fiorentina player changed course and moved to West Ham, which offered better terms.

All of this frustrated Glasner, who had built a strong reputation last season by winning the FA Cup and has the guts to stand up to his superiors. He stated he would leave if the board, which had not rushed to find replacements, sold Guehi—especially since Guehi was a pillar of the defense.

The consequence of the Austrian coach’s stance is that Crystal Palace withdrew from the deal: Mark Guehi stays at Selhurst, and Joe Gomez remains at Liverpool, as he was the one expected to move to Milan in this arrangement.