Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi has become one of the most highly-rated defenders in English football in recent years and he still has plenty of time to get even better.

Guehi spent his impressive youth career playing at Chelsea but only managed to make two senior appearances for the club. While with the Blues, he also spent 18 months on loan at Swansea City in the Championship. 

The defender then permanently joined Premier League club Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021 and has remained at Selhurst Park ever since. 

Guehi played for England at all youth levels from the Under-16s up to the Under-21s and was a part of the Under-17s team that won the World Cup in 2017.

He has also broken into the England national squad under Gareth Southgate.

 

Success in the Chelsea Academy

Guehi grew up in Grove Park, Lewisham, and after impressing for local club Cray Wanderers, he was recommended to Chelsea’s academy.

Guehi’s youth career was spent at Chelsea and he had an extremely successful time in their academy. 

He signed his professional contract with the West London outfit at 17-years-old in September 2017 but remained playing regularly in the academy for the next couple of years. 

Guehi was a regular starter in the Blues’ under-18s teams that won the treble in 2017 and the quadruple in 2018.

Despite his success in the Blues’ youth setup he made only two appearances for the first team, both in the Carabao Cup. 

His professional debut came when he played the full 90 minutes in the club’s 7-1 victory over Grimsby Town on September 25, 2019. His second and what turned out to be his final appearance for them came in 2-1 home defeat to Manchester United on October 30, 2019.

Loan spell at Swansea City

In January 2020, Guehi joined Championship club Swansea City on an initial six-month loan. He made his debut for the Welsh outfit and played his first-ever professional league game on January 25, 2020 in a 2-0 loss to Stoke City. 

Guehi made a total of 14 appearances for Steve Cooper’s side by the end of the 2019/20 campaign and helped them secure a place in the play-offs but they were beaten in the semi-finals by Brentford. 

He then returned to the club on loan for the 2020/21 season and became a regular in the team, playing 45 games for the club across all competitions and helping them reach the Championship play-off final, where they once again lost to Brentford.

The defenders loan with the club came to an end in the summer of 2021 and he returned to his parent club Chelsea before being moved on permanently. 

 

Thriving at Crystal Palace

The centre-back joined Premier League club Crystal Palace in July 2021 for a reported fee of £18million and has made over 100 appearances for the South London outfit.

Guehi scored his first goal for the Eagles in their 3-3 draw away to Burnley in November 2021. In the 2021/22 season, he played 42 times in all competitions for a Palace team which finished 12th in the league and reached an FA Cup semi-final. 

In the 2022/23 campaign, Guehi played 40 times in all competitions as Palace finished 11th in the league.

 

England youth and senior team 

Guehi has played for England at every youth level from the Under-16s up to the Under-21s.

He began playing for the U16s’ team in 2015 and went on to make nine appearances for them, scoring once. 

He then moved up to U17s in 2016 and went on to make 21 appearances and captained the side at the European Under-17 Championship where he played every game as they reached the final before losing on penalties by Spain. 

Guehi was then a part of the U17s’ team for the FIFA U-17 World Cup; playing every game and scoring in the final as England beat Spain 5-2 to win the tournament. 

He then played at U18, U19, U20 and U21 level before earning his first call up for England’s senior team in March 2022.

Guehi made his debut for the Three Lions in their 2-1 victory over Switzerland in a friendly on March 26, 2022.

Guehi personal life

Guehi was born in Abijan in the Ivory Coast and moved to London when he was one.

He still lives at home with his parents and three sisters – Lois, Joelle and Shirel.

His father is a Christian minister and Guehi points to his faith for much of his success.

Guehi net worth

Guehi's net worth is believed to be around £8 million and he earns £44,000 per week at Crystal Palace.