Crystal Palace would have sold Marc Guehi to Newcastle United in the summer ‘if they were smart’, journalist Aaron Stokes has insisted.
Newcastle chased Guehi for much of the summer as Eddie Howe set his sights on the England international as his top centre-back target.
The Magpies made multiple offers to Crystal Palace for Guehi, but were unable to reach an agreement and the defender stayed at Selhurst Park as the transfer window closed.
There has been much soul searching at Newcastle after missing out on Guehi, but Newcastle focused journalist Stokes thinks that Palace are the ones who should reflect.
He believes that if they had been smart, Crystal Palace would have sold Guehi in the summer as his contractual situation has put them in a tough spot.
Stokes said on the Everything is Black and White podcast: “It puts huge pressure on Crystal Palace because you have a player in the final 18 months of his contract, there is nothing to say he is going to sign that deal at Crystal Palace to extend.
“Palace really, if they were smart, should have sold in the summer.
“The only chance you’ve got to sell him now if he doesn’t sign a new contract is January.
“And if Marc Guehi continues to play like this, getting outpaced by 37 year old strikers [like Jamie Vardy], nobody is going to pay £70m for him in January.”
Newcastle have shrugged off the disappointment of missing out on another centre-back and a winger to start the new campaign strongly.
The Magpies are set to visit Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace at the end of November.