Crystal Palace are bracing for interest in defender Marc Guehi this summer as he prepares to enter the final year of his contract at Selhurst Park, with Chelsea and Newcastle previously targeting the England international
Marc Guehi swerved questions on his future before captaining Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday. The England centre-back was a target for Newcastle last summer and now has only one year left on his Palace contract.
The South London club will have to sell him at the end of the season if he does not agree to a new deal. But before facing Manchester City at Wembley, Guehi said: “I think the most important thing is just always doing the best that I can for this football club. I come in every day and I try to be the same.
“I try to work hard. And you know, this football club has given me a lot. I’m still under contract at this football club, so my focus is always at this football club. So, you know, for me, the most important is just doing the best I can and seeing where the future holds.”
Palace are playing their third FA Cup final – and bidding to win a first major trophy in their history. Abu Dhabi-owned City have won the Premier League in the previous four seasons – and 36 trophies in all
Asked if winning the FA would mean more to the South London club, Palace manager Glasner said: “I don’t know. If something is the first time in your life then maybe it means more to you than when you have it every single year. City, I don’t know how many trophies they’ve won and finals they have played in under Pep.
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“It’s definitely more than Crystal Palace has! But for the players, the manager, the club, winning a title is something great in the season.
“I don’t expect that they will wave us the white flag and say: ‘Okay, it’s the first title for Crystal Palace, you should get it.’ I think they will fight to win it.”
Adam Wharton is fit to play in tomorrow’s FA Cup final, Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner has confirmed. The England midfielder was subbed off against Nottingham Forest with an ankle ligament injury and missed last weekend’s game at Spurs.
But speaking before the Manchester City clash, Glasner said: “Everybody is fit. I have some tough decisions to make but some good decisions.
“We all want to enjoy this moment, but I think the last couple of weeks we have been enjoying it. It’s a great time for the club, it’s a great time for every one of us, it’s a great time for our fans.
“When I could see the players training, it was just great to watch them. Nobody looked nervous, everybody was focused, but we were laughing, having fun together, because this is why we play football.
“There’s a lot of attention. We’re playing in the biggest stadium in England in front of 90,000 people. There will be, I don’t know, about 40,000 Crystal Palace fans, but when we play at home, we have maybe 22-23,000. We all are in this privileged situation that we can experience it, and it’s just a lot of joy and positivity about this final.”
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