What Thomas Tuchel said about Marc Guehi after Chelsea exit as the Blues weigh up re-signing defender

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With the January transfer window now open, there is a possibility of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi joining Chelsea.

Marc Guehi left Chelsea for Crystal Palace back in 2021 and has since gone on to become a top Premier League centre-back.

As a result of that and a couple of injuries in defence, Chelsea are now interested in re-signing Guehi.

Some will start to feel that the Blues offloading him was a mistake, though former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was more than happy to let the 24-year-old go at the time.

Thomas Tuchel backed Chelsea’s decision to sell Marc Guehi

Tuchel had no issues with Chelsea parting ways with Guehi, believing it to be the best thing for the player.

Speaking to football.london and the rest of the English media about Guehi’s debut season at Palace, the German said: “It’s a fantastic development and it’s very hard to know if we kept him what would’ve happened. Maybe he needed a change, a different club, a bigger role, more minutes to develop his full potential.

“It just tells you over and over again that if you trust younger players, have a role for them, they can on a regular level match your expectations and even over-perform.

“It’s a decision we took together and we are happy with these decisions. I am happy with these decisions and it was the right thing to do given the circumstances.”

A few years after those comments being made, and it looks like there is a chance of Guehi returning to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea do have other options, though. Abdukodir Khusanov is another name thought to be on Chelsea’s radar.

Marc Guehi could have replaced Antonio Rudiger or Andreas Christensen

It is a real shame that Chelsea did not keep hold of Guehi because they finished the 2021/22 season needing a couple of central defenders.

Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both left the club on free transfers. Their replacements? Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana, signings that have not proven to be successful.

Koulibaly’s transfer was so much of a failure that he ended up leaving Chelsea only a year later, while Fofana has barely played since arriving from Leicester City because of injuries. Fofana could miss the rest of the campaign as a result of his latest issue.

In that time, Guehi has really grown into a solid defender and leader. He captained Palace in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea last weekend and is undoubtedly the best centre-half in their squad.

This season, the England international is winning 2.5 aerial duels per game in the Premier League, which is more than any other Palace player, according to WhoScored.

You can call it hindsight, but the fact of the matter is Chelsea selling Guehi was an error, an error that could end up proving to be very expensive.