🇪🇸 38. Marc Guiu

[NikkiCFC 8,369]

7 hours ago, Duppy Conqueror said:

Wondering why Barca gave him such a low RC fee when they gave others like Oriel such an obscene one.

Is there a rule that made them do it?

Because it was youth contract. He just turned 18. I'm sure contract they offered him this summer would have some crazy clause. 

[ZAPHOD2319 4,823]

 

[Vesper 30,272]

10 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

 

already showing leadership levels

I like the cut of this kid's jib

[NikkiCFC 8,369]

Standard is low if we gonna praise players now for giving high 5 🤦

[Vesper 30,272]

 

[Magic Lamps 11,692]

that must have been one of the worst Cf performances for this club ever even after witnessing sheva, Torres , broja and Lukaku.  I really wonder why ppl thought he would be a tolerable back up striker going into the season. Jackson is already pushing it but when he came on it made such a difference after guiu did nothing but lose duels all game (for the third game in a row btw) . He needs a loan badly 

[Vesper 30,272]

2 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

that must have been one of the worst Cf performances for this club ever even after witnessing sheva, Torres , broja and Lukaku.  I really wonder why ppl thought he would be a tolerable back up striker going into the season. Jackson is already pushing it but when he came on it made such a difference after guiu did nothing but lose duels all game (for the third game in a row btw) . He needs a loan badly 

in his defence he was 17yo for half of last season

[robsblubot 3,595]

32 minutes ago, Vesper said:

in his defence he was 17yo for half of last season

Sure, his signing may turn out great in the future.
Suppose the question isn't why some young fans here would be excited about Guiu, but really why an elite Premiere League club would think he'd be able to deliver adequate performances at this level.
Of course, the last bit is just a feeling given his involvement so far, and the lack of loan talk.

[Vesper 30,272]

Marc Guiu is far more than a bit-part Chelsea player. This is why

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6597652/2025/09/05/marc-guiu-Chelsea-transfer-future/

 

It would be a mistake to dismiss Marc Guiu as simply the player that allowed Nicolas Jackson to complete a move from Chelsea to Bayern Munich on deadline day this week.

His role in the Jackson saga, which saw Chelsea recall him from a season-long loan at Sunderland less than a month after he arrived on Wearside, was covered in The Athletic’s review of the last 48 hours of the club’s transfer window. Chelsea had to act fast to find cover for Liam Delap, who suffered a hamstring injury against Fulham on Saturday, before even contemplating reopening negotiations with Bayern Munich over Jackson. Guiu was the unanimous choice among the decision makers at Stamford Bridge, including head coach Enzo Maresca.

Guiu made a very good impression in his first season at Chelsea, after joining from Barcelona last summer when a €6million (£5.2m) release clause in his contract was triggered. He scored six goals, all of which were in the UEFA Conference League, in 16 appearances. The 19-year-old was Chelsea’s top scorer in the competition and joint-third overall.

Maresca clearly liked him. Guiu was given his debut in Chelsea’s opening Premier League game last season against defending champions Manchester City, was a late substitute in the Conference League final win over Real Betis in May and was involved at the FIFA Club World Cup. He was named on the bench on another 16 occasions, a sign that Maresca wanted to keep Guiu around the first team even if he was not getting on the pitch.

Sources speaking anonymously to The Athletic to protect relationships say this is because Maresca appreciates the intensity, hunger and passion Guiu puts into training sessions and games. The significance of this should not be ignored — Maresca dropped several players last season for not doing enough.

In many ways, the two share the same approach to football — that having a strong work ethic is a must. Guiu loves being a nuisance to opponents by pressing them constantly to win back possession. This is something he did in Barcelona’s academy, too, and sources say club staff actually tried to convince him to do it less because they were concerned he might not have the energy to produce when he did have the ball.

Barcelona did not want to sell Guiu. This was a homegrown talent who scored his first senior goal for them on his debut aged just 17, only 23 seconds after coming on against Athletic Club two years ago. It was the only goal of the game. He went on to make another six appearances, including two in the Champions League. The striker found the net in that competition, too, during a 3-2 defeat to Royal Antwerp.

 

Marc Guiu (38) is a popular figure at Chelsea (David Ramos/Getty Images)

Guiu was lined up to play a lot more for Chelsea in the second half of last season. Significantly, clubs in England, Germany, Italy and Spain all enquired about taking him on loan in January but the club said no. Guiu was also happy to stay. He appreciated how the coaching staff put on extra drills for him after the main session with the whole group to work on aspects of his game. Chelsea wanted him to continue his development with them and part of doing that was increasing his game time.

The chances of doing so were poised to go up when Jackson limped off with a hamstring injury against West Ham on deadline day in the winter transfer window in February. Maresca chose Guiu to replace him rather than the more experienced and costly Christopher Nkunku. But just before the full-time whistle, his legs stretched awkwardly while attempting to get to a pull-back in the area and he picked up a problem, too. Initially, it was not thought to be serious but Guiu ended up missing the rest of the Premier League campaign with an abductor injury.

Guiu felt he was ready to return for the run-in a month earlier but Chelsea took a more cautious approach. This was the first major injury of his career and with the club seeing him as potentially someone who could play for them for years to come, they felt it was better not to rush things.

It was a bitter setback, regardless. Helping him through it was his mother and younger sister, who live with him in his house near Chelsea’s training base in Cobham. Guiu’s father still works in Barcelona but comes over regularly to visit.

 

Guiu spent only a few weeks at Sunderland (George Wood/Getty Images)

The signings of Joao Pedro and Delap in his position this summer were not the blow to Guiu’s status at Chelsea that it may have seemed. Chelsea rejected offers from clubs to buy him permanently but Guiu was encouraged to go on loan so he could get game time before coming back next year.

He made just three appearances, lasting 103 minutes, but that was enough time to get off the mark with a header against Huddersfield Town in the Carabao Cup. Unfortunately, playing in that fixture means Guiu will be cup-tied for Chelsea.

When Chelsea came calling for him to return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday — they opted against pursuing Conrad Harder or anyone else as they did not want to block Guiu’s pathway — he communicated instantly that he was ready to do so. The international break means he has to delay a reunion with his teammates for now but he cannot wait to get started.

There is another incentive. Guiu is expected to make his first outing for Spain Under-21s but while he has been with the camp this week, he has been told that a place in the senior side at the World Cup next year (should they qualify) is a possibility if he gets enough minutes at Chelsea.

Rather than simply being a sub-plot to Delap’s misfortune and Jackson’s eagerness to get away to Germany, Guiu stands to benefit a great deal. Chelsea could do so, too.