Marc Guehi’s failed transfer to Liverpool has likely left a sour taste in some fans’ mouths.
Oliver Glasner got his wish of his captain staying at Selhurst Park, with the German even threatening to resign from his role if Guehi was sold on deadline day.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly with the Englishman even undergoing his medical ahead of his Anfield switch.
That is, until Igor Julio chose against joining the Eagles, leaving Steve Parish without a valid option to bring in to replace his captain.
In the end, this resulted in the centre-back staying put, which will have likely been music to the ears of one Liverpool ace this summer.
Giovanni Leoni will likely be buzzing that Marc Guehi didn’t end up joining Liverpool
One centre-back who Liverpool did manage to bring in this summer was Giovanni Leoni.
The Italian was brought in for a fee worth over £30million and is seen as Liverpool’s fourth-choice centre-back behind Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.
Although the centre-back will have known that his role within the Anfield outfit would have been fairly laid back, if Guehi had joined, he’d be even further down the pecking order.
In fact, if the Englishman did join, it’s hard to see how Leoni would have ever got a look in, especially if Gomez was fit.
Indeed, Leoni is still just 18 years old, so he has plenty of time to make the centre-back spot his own, but for him to do that, he needs to play the odd game here and there.
This is why, now that Guehi is definitely not joining, he’s likely ecstatic, as it allows him the chance to prove his worth to Slot.
Why Arne Slot chose to sign Giovanni Leoni this summer
Although Leoni ended up choosing to take the next step in his career with Liverpool, there were several other clubs also vying for his transfer.
Inter Milan were one of them, but in the end, only the Reds were willing to front up the money that Parma wanted for their wonderkid.
When the Italian was first announced, Slot dubbed him “impressive” and said that he’s playing beyond his years already.
And, from the pictures that have been released of the centre-back, he looks like an absolute giant.
He’s 6’4 and while he’s likely not as good as some of his peers at the moment, after a season of playing with the Premier League champions, he’s likely to become even better.
And, to put the cherry on top of the cake, the fact that he’s 18 means that if he stays at Anfield for the next three years, he’ll be classed as homegrown at the club, which is exactly what Liverpool need to register a full squad of 25 players.
That is, especially since the likes of Jarell Quansah and Harvey Elliott have now both departed.
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