Marc Guehi took a moment, muttered something to himself as he composed his thoughts, and then began.
“Alright, let’s go.”
From the start it was obvious this was difficult. Saying goodbye necessitated that deep breath before he launched into a speech that extended almost to six minutes, brimming with gratitude and appreciation throughout. The emotion was written across his face. It told in the tone of his voice, too.
Guehi was talking to club media with his video message published upon the completion of his £20million ($26.9m) transfer to Manchester City on Monday.
He left Crystal Palace with a heavy heart. This is a player who arrived as a rookie with no Premier League experience under his belt and departed an FA Cup and Community Shield-winning captain, an England regular, and a club hero. He spoke of south London being a community, praised the unrelenting support from the fans, and went through every category of person he could think of to give his thanks.
Marc Guehi relished his role as Crystal Palace captain (Sebastian Frej/Getty Images)
It is four and a half years since he joined from Chelsea, a signing made as Palace entered a new era. His arrival marked a shift in recruitment strategy as the club pursued younger talent whose potential could be honed and their talent elevated to help the team immediately before moving on for a significant profit in due course.
The idea was that money would be reinvested and the cycle would begin again.
It did not quite work out that way but only because Guehi surpassed expectations; becoming a stalwart in defence, forming a formidable partnership initially alongside Joachim Andersen, then becoming the club’s captain and leading them to a first major trophy, all while establishing himself as an England regular and impressing during the European Championships in 2024.
If it had been something of a risk to bring in a young centre-back with no Premier League experience to be a regular starter, then he showed emphatically that any fears were misplaced. He will go down as one of the best centre-backs in Palace’s history. Probably the best.
With only six months remaining on his contract, Palace will make a small profit on the £18m they paid Chelsea to acquire him. That is a meagre amount for a player of his quality, but does at least bring some money in for a defender who had indicated he would not be signing a new deal beyond the summer.
Guehi has always led by example on and off the pitch — the ultimate professional — and has never agitated for a move away, so he deserves his opportunity after showing loyalty to Palace. There was disappointment on his part when a £35m move to Liverpool was pulled at the last in the summer but, instead of sulking, he continued to perform at his best, putting it behind him and focusing on the team.
Such is his calibre that clubs would still have pursued his signature even if his level had dropped marginally. But there was never any doubt that he would continue to show the application that has typified his Palace career.
Marc Guehi celebrates his goal for Palace in the win at Aston Villa in August, hours before he was denied a move to Liverpool (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
Roy Hodgson, while still Palace manager, tipped him to become an England captain one day, before rescinding those comments so as not to put undue pressure on Guehi.
It is easy to forget that he was just 21 when Patrick Vieira handed him the captaincy at Selhurst Park, less than a year into his Palace and Premier League career. But he has always been the type of person to lead by example; to prepare, plan and to bring everyone along with him.
“To wear the armband has been such a blessing,” he said in his farewell message. “It was such an incredible responsibility at such a young age, but knowing I had the support of every single fan was amazing.”
His guidance of Tyrick Mitchell on that left-hand side of defence helped the full-back develop and learn while being protected from mistakes. He was still the leader in that partnership with Andersen despite his team-mate’s greater experience.
That level of responsibility, or expectation, has never had a negative effect on him. Rather, it inspired him.
Joel Ward and Marc Guehi clutch the FA Cup after Palace’s win at Wembley last May (Visionhaus/Getty Images)
He has demonstrated incredible consistency in his performances — always at a high level, always dependable. It is a sort of steady excellence that becomes so reassuringly familiar that only when he is unavailable do you really appreciate just how good he really is.
Guehi’s composure in and out of possession is remarkable. He is rarely flustered, and while his limitations in aerial duels are his only major issue, his talent in almost all other areas has made up for that.
His schooling through the Chelsea academy, an innate determination and self-confidence, and the fact he has everything mapped out in his head all go a long way towards helping with his performances on the pitch. Clarity, as manager Oliver Glasner has said so often, is crucial.
Guehi is thoughtful and considered when he speaks and deserves the relationship he has struck up with the Palace supporters. The only surprise is that he has never had his own chant or song, when many others whose contributions are not as strong over such a long time have had their names celebrated.
Maybe, though, that is how it should be. It reflects almost who is he on and off the pitch; forever able to go about his business with minimal fuss, but with unswerving excellence. Reliable, integral, inspirational.
A South London boy turned Crystal Palace legend 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Iua6UtDwaH
— Crystal Palace F.C. (@CPFC) January 19, 2026
It is unfortunate, too, that his last outing in a Palace shirt came in such a humiliating defeat by non-League Macclesfield in the FA Cup third round, and that it was by a distance his worst showing for the club. That was an aberration. It will hopefully be forgotten. It deserves to be.
The focus instead should be on his incredible contribution through his time at the club. That will linger on how he put the disappointment of that failed move to Liverpool aside, but mostly it should fix upon on how much he has given to Palace.
Replacing him will be impossible, particularly for the fee received. There is cover at centre-back: Jefferson Lerma, a midfielder at heart, has done a laudable job in the back line but is relatively limited; Jaydee Canvot’s potential is clear, but he is very much one for the future and still dogged by the inconsistency of youth; and Chadi Riad, who has played just three times in 18 months due to injury problems. But they have huge boots to fill.
Marc Guehi departs as arguably Crystal Palace’s greatest ever centre-half (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Guehi’s departure has left a void, and another issue for Palace to address in this most chaotic of months. But that is for another day, and not for him to worry about. What he describes as a “family” will always support him from afar, reciprocating his gratitude.
“I’m going to try not to get emotional,” he added. “When I think of family, I think of people sticking by each other, the tough times where the club is battling relegation, the games we’ve lost, the highs and it didn’t matter what moment or what season we were in as a team, the fans were always supportive, always there, having my back, having the team’s back.
“For you guys to allow me to grow and be the person I am today, a big thank you. Thank you so much for everything you guys have done for me. The opportunity to play in the Premier League, to captain the club, for just a normal kid to realise a dream — thank you.”
For Guehi, though, this chapter has ended and another has begun. The future is exciting. No one at Palace will begrudge him that.