Crystal Palace have turned to a new name in their hunt for defensive reinforcements should Marc Guehi leave this summer, it has been claimed.
Speculation surrounding Crystal Palace backline
Crystal Palace and Oliver Glasner head into the final 11 days of the transfer window unsure whether either of their first choice defenders will be at the club by the time the window slams shut.
Both Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen started the Premier League opener against Brentford, in which Eberechi Eze had a goal controversially ruled out as the Eagles fell to a 2-1 defeat courtesy of a late goal from Yoane Wissa.
But both are the subject of Premier League interest. Andersen has been targeted by former side Fulham, with Marco Silva's side tabling a £20m offer to sign him already this summer, though that was rejected and Palace are understood to value him at closer to £40m.
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Perhaps more concerning is Newcastle's protracted interest in left centre-back Marc Guehi, who starred at EURO 2024 and has been the subject of four bids by the Magpies. Last week, Palace chairman Steve Parish suggested no-one had matched the club's valuation of the defender, but more recently admitted that Guehi could leave if the right offer came in.
"I said it in the week, Marc is a great player and we are a club that have to accept where we are right now. We are not a destination, we are somewhere you travel through and if we get the right bids for players, in the right order, then we need to look at them. We haven't got that at the moment. If we get that then things will change, but right now Marc is a Palace player."
Should he depart, Palace will need late reinforcements, and now a new name has surfaced to replace the England international.
Palace looking to raid London rivals
That comes as TEAMtalk claim that Palace have made contact with London rivals Arsenal over a potential move to bring defender Jakub Kiwior to Selhurst Park in the final days of the transfer window.
Kiwior was left out of the matchday squad for Arsenal's opening day clash with Wolves, and the arrival of Riccardo Calafiori has left him surplus to requirements in north London.
And Palace have "made contact with Arsenal to enquire about Kiwior’s availability", the report claims, while "Oliver Glasner’s side could consider a move for Kiwior" instead of other targets.
Though not one of the first names on Mikel Arteta's teamsheet, Kiwior made 30 appearances for the Gunners last year, grabbing a goal and three assists in the process and acually managing to make more tackles per 90 than Guehi across the campaign.
Jakub Kiwior vs Marc Guehi 23/24 Premier League season
Marc Guehi
Jakub Kiwior
Appearances
25
20
Starts
23
11
Yellow Cards
2
1
Tackles per 90
0.62
1.33
Aerial Duels % won
50%
57.7%
Clearances per 90
3.96
2.67
Stats via fbref.com
He has been hailed as an "extraordinary" talent by compatriot and teammate for Poland Robert Lewandowski, and is wanted by a string of clubs across Europe: "During the warm-up of the game with the Netherlands, I thought, 'Who is this guy?' Then, during the match, I realised that he is extraordinary."
Having signed Kiwior for £17.6m eighteen months ago, Arsenal are unlikely to want to sell for anything less given that the 24-year-old still has four years left to run on his £58,000 a week deal, though a loan move could well be possible should no one match their asking price.
