Arsenal considered signing Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi before bringing in Jurrien Timber.
That is according to Fabrizio Romano.
Arsenal signed Jurrien Timber from Ajax last month, but Romano says the Gunners looked at Marc Guehi before landing the Dutchman. In his column for CaughtOffside, the Italian journalist said: “Guehi was one of the players considered by Arsenal back in May alongside Mohamed Simakan and Aymeric Laporte but then they decided to go for Jurrien Timber in very clear way.”
While Timber made his debut for Arsenal at left-back, the 22-year-old is a centre-back by trade.
That versatility is why Mikel Arteta may have gone for Timber in the end, but the Spaniard is going to be without that for a while after his signing suffered an ACL injury in the 2-1 win against Nottingham Forest.
Marc Guehi could have been a great addition to Arsenal’s squad
If Arsenal signed Guehi instead of Timber, supporters of the north London club probably would not have been too disappointed.
The 23-year-old has really impressed at Palace since joining them from Chelsea and is quite a modern-day defender, capable of getting on the ball and passing it.
From the Eagles’ first two Premier League games this season, Guehi has recorded a pass success rate of 90.9% (WhoScored).
The England international looks perfect for any team aiming to dominate the ball, like Arsenal, for example.
Guehi would not have come cheap, though, with the Daily Mail claiming that Palace value him at £60m.
However, given the impact he has made at Selhurst Park and the fact that he has years left in the game, it may not be the worst investment at that price.
But in the end, Arsenal opted for Timber, and with the transfer window closing next week, it is unlikely that Palace will sell one of their best players to another club now.
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