Manchester City’s hopes of fielding newly signed defender Marc Guehi in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on March 22 are set to be dashed, with the English Football League confirming the player will remain ineligible.
Guehi joined City from Crystal Palace on January 19, six days after the first leg of the semi-final, a timing that breaches EFL rules barring players signed after the first leg from participating in the remainder of the competition.
Speaking this week, Pep Guardiola admitted his frustration over the situation and indicated that the club would explore all possible avenues to have Guehi available for the final.
“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he cannot play the final. 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 City manager said.
Despite Guardiola’s optimism, Sky Sports reports that the EFL will not amend its regulations for the final. City must now rely on the likes of Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Max Alleyne, and Abdukodir Khusanov to fill the defensive positions, with Guehi sidelined from what would have been his first chance to feature in a domestic cup final for the club.
City have previously benefited from a temporary rule adjustment this season, which allowed players to feature for two different clubs in the same competition.
This exception permitted Antoine Semenyo and Max Alleyne to play for City despite having appeared for Bournemouth and Watford earlier in the season. In Guehi’s case, however, the timing of his transfer falls outside the bounds of this flexibility, leaving Guardiola to plan the final without his new centre-back.
The decision underscores the EFL’s strict adherence to competition rules and leaves City with a defensive dilemma ahead of one of the season’s most important fixtures.
