Pep Guardiola has been in the news recently with statements complaining about the narrative of Manchester City’s spending, claiming other English clubs invested even more. Now he’s seeking a rule exception for an upcoming match.
What the manager wants is for the club to present a letter so he can include Marc Guehi in the lineup for the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on March 22 at Wembley Stadium.
The Spanish manager said: “I told the club we must ask. Hopefully we can convince them that Marc can play in the final. I don’t understand why he cannot play in the final. Hopefully we make a letter. You buy a player for a lot of money, and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it.”
The rule that Guardiola wants to change
With injuries piling up in Manchester City’s defense, the club moved for a player they had tracked for some time. However, because Guehi already played for Crystal Palace in the competition, Guardiola faces a regulatory obstacle.
Guehi may not be allowed to play the Carabao Cup final (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
This season the Carabao Cup rules were modified slightly on player eligibility. Previously, players could represent only one club during the competition. The rule states that a player can only represent a second club if he joins that team before the first leg of the semifinals is played, according to The Guardian. With Guehi arriving on January 19, that condition was not met, as Manchester City had already played and taken a 2-0 lead over Newcastle.
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Guehi’s transfer from Crystal Palace
The defender was a target for many top clubs in last summer’s transfer market, with Crystal Palace facing the prospect of losing him for free at the end of his contract. Palace ultimately sold him this January rather than risk losing him for nothing.
Manchester City paid £20 million (roughly $27 million) for him as injuries forced them into the market. Among the defenders currently unavailable for Guardiola are Josko Gvardiol and John Stones, while Nathan Ake has also missed time.
