Manchester City are to ask the English Football League to allow Marc Guéhi to play in the Carabao Cup final, despite the defender being ineligible under competition rules. Pep Guardiola has confirmed the club will write to the EFL seeking a dispensation for the £20m January signing from Crystal Palace.
City progressed to meet Arsenal at Wembley on 22 March by beating Newcastle 5-1 on aggregate. Guéhi, who joined on 19 January, was unable to feature in the second leg because he had not been registered in time for the first leg – a rule that also prevents him from playing in the final.
“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc Guéhi can play the final,” Guardiola said. “I don’t understand why he cannot play. You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. It’s like the Champions League – it’s pure logic.”
The City boss contrasted Guéhi’s situation with that of fellow January recruit Antoine Semenyo, who joined before the first meeting with Newcastle and therefore was eligible to play and score. “Why should he [Guéhi] not play? We pay his salary, he is our player,” Guardiola added.
Despite his appeal, Guardiola acknowledged it is unlikely to succeed. “No, but we will try,” he said. He expressed confidence that Guéhi, who lifted the FA Cup as Crystal Palace captain last year, will have many more opportunities: “He came to a team that will play a lot of finals in the next years.”
