The Eagles have picked up some impressive results in the Premier League, such as their 2-2 draw away to Manchester City, but they’ve also looked abysmal at points, such as in their 4-1 defeat to bitter rivals Brighton & Hove Albion.
Unfortunately, there has been more of the latter than the former so far, which resulted in the sacking of Roy Hodgson and the hiring of the exciting Austrian coach, Oliver Glasner, earlier this month.
The former Eintracht Frankfurt boss has already seen his side pick up four points in two games, and while there’s a lot of work to be done, one thing he should do is make sure the club don’t offer another contract to one of their senior players in the summer, a player who somehow earns more than Marc Guehi.
Guehi has been out of action since the club’s embarrassing defeat to Brighton earlier this month, and while there was hope he might be back in action soon, it was confirmed earlier today that he’s going to miss at least another two months following knee surgery.
The nine-capped Englishman was signed for a fee of £18m from Chelsea in July 2021 after spending an impressive season and a half on loan with Swansea City in the Championship, and has since become an integral cog in the Eagles’ machine.
In his first season in south London, he made 42 appearances for the club and chipped in at both ends of the pitch, scoring four goals and providing one assist alongside his impressive defensive displays.
He would make another 40 appearances the following season, and even with his current injury problems, he already has 26 this year.
Alongside his defensive abilities, the Abidjan-born monster has become one of Palace’s most prominent leaders and was named captain for the first time in a game against Watford in February 2022, something he described as a “huge honour.”
Since then, he has pulled on the armband many more times in the absence of Joel Ward, and he has rarely, if ever, looked out of place doing so.
With all that in mind, you might expect the “top-class” centre-back, as he was described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, to be one of the club’s top earners. Yet, his £50k-per-week wage is not even in the top five, and he sits comfortably behind a senior player who is undoubtedly less crucial to the side.
Yes, the highly-rated and incredibly impressive Guehi earns significantly less – £30k-per-week, to be exact – than right-back Nathaniel Clyne at Selhurst Park.
Now, the first thing to say is that while there might still be some value in keeping the 32-year-old around in terms of experience and squad depth, his number of performances combined with his woeful output makes it a hard case to push.
For example, in the four seasons he has spent at the club since his return in October 2020, the former Liverpool full-back has made just 77 appearances, scored five goals and provided two assists, which is a worse offensive output than Guehi, which just isn’t good enough for a modern-day right-back.
Moreover, the “poor” defender, as described by journalist Josh Bunting, is currently earning £80k-per-week, equating to about £4.1m-per-year and making him the joint third-highest earner at the club.
With the recent arrival of Daniel Munoz and the progressive mentality of Glasner, it seems impossible to justify the wages that Clyne is currently earning, and while he might be a great professional, the club cannot offer to renew his deal this summer.
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