Dan Cook braced for rumours around Palace ace Marc Guehi

Dan Cook has stated on the HLTCO podcast that Crystal Palace and their supporters should brace themselves amid the speculation surrounding Marc Guehi’s future.

The Lowdown: Palace looking to hold firm

Palace appeared to pull off a major coup in the summer of 2021 when they landed the young defender from Chelsea for just £18m, with Guehi going on to rack up 65 appearances for the Eagles.

Guehi isn’t just impressing Palace fans and Patrick Vieira, but also England boss Gareth Southgate, who has handed him three caps for the Three Lions since his move to Selhurst Park.

Therefore, it’s no surprise that clubs pushing for silverware and the top four are interested in the young centre-back, and it was claimed earlier this month that Tottenham Hotspur were said to be very keen on the former Chelsea man, according to journalist Alasdair Gold.

In fact, the rumours show no signs of stopping, with speculation rife as links between Guehi and the north Londoners continue to emerge.

The Latest: Guehi will attract interest

While Cook won’t want to lose Guehi – and isn’t convinced they will this summer – he is bracing himself for a summer of speculation and wants fans to do the same.

He said: “It just seems like a player-and-club marriage that ticks all the necessary boxes – other than, of course, Crystal Palace being a little bit higher up the Premier League table, which I’m sure Marc would absolutely love – but with Brighton on the horizon, you don’t want to think too deeply about the potential of one of our key players leaving in the summer.

“It’s just something to keep an eye on because it’s the second or third time that I have seen Spurs linked with a move for him in the next transfer window, so I would suggest there’s no smoke without fire in terms of this particular story and we may well have to be braced for a summer of rumour and gossip in relation to Marc and a potential move to north London.”

The Verdict: Palace must match Guehi’s ambitions

Given that Guehi has missed just one game all season in the league, the thought of losing the England international this summer will be a tough one for Vieira to stomach, especially when he looks set to lose Wilfried Zaha as well.

However, the fact Palace have won just one of their last 10 matches will be a cause for concern and something that Guehi may not wish to be part of if there is interest from sides playing European football.

Vieira and Steve Parish will know that in order to keep their best players, the Eagles will have to do better than slugging it out in a relegation battle, or they will jump ship very quickly to progress their own careers.