New Delhi: Chelsea have a new star in the making by the name of Marc Guiu. The La Masia product had an outstanding performance against Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League, where he bacame the youngest ever Chelsea player to score a hat-trick in European competitions. The Chelsea forward showed his killer instinct in front of the goal and connected well with the Chelsea players around him. It looks likely that the young Spaniard will be finally getting his minutes in the league after a couple of superb performances in Europe.
It seems like Enzo Maresca hasn’t trusted him enough ever since he made his move from Barcelona, but these performances might just be enough to earn him a full regular start in the league. The 18-year-old had a rather slow start to his life in England, but he is slowly adapting to Enzo Maresca’s tactics. Now it will be a good time for the Italian manager to finally try him out in a tougher competition of English Premier League that could do wonders for his development.
Why did Barca let Guiu leave?
🚨🔵 EXCL: Marc Guiu has completed medical tests as new Chelsea player tonight in London!
The release clause worth €6m has been paid, Barça have been informed with formal document.
Guiu signs as new Chelsea player on deal valid until June 2030.
Here we go, now confirmed. 🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/9jxBYyU2rQ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 27, 2024
It would be a huge understatement to say that Guiu came out of the gate strong after joining Barcelona’s first team. After entering the game in the 79th minute of Barcelona’s La Liga match against Athletic Bilbao in October 2023, the La Masia graduate made an immediate impression and scored 33 seconds later to give Xavi’s squad a 1-0 victory. But his route to the senior team was far less clear-cut. The frontman wasn’t always a consistent starter at the juvenile level because of the growth spurts that occurred during his adolescence.
“He missed a lot of games,” Albert Capellas, the former assistant director of junior football at Barcelona, interacted with Sky Sports earlier this year. “He was unable to train.
“What happens at a lot of clubs, if you cannot train or play, maybe you have to leave. At Barcelona, we know the level of the players, we give them time.”
Guiu benefited from the Catalan club’s patience. In 2023–24, he made six more appearances for the senior squad, scoring one more during a Champions League loss to Royal Antwerp 3-2. By offering an extension, Barcelona reportedly tried to take Guiu’s small £5 million release clause out of his contract. However, Chelsea activated that provision in June and signed the young player to a five-year contract with an additional year at Stamford Bridge as an option.
Did Barca make a mistake by letting him go?
🔵🗣️ Joe Cole: “My thought with Marc Guiu is how have Barcelona let him go? This kid in two years time could be an established number nine.”
“I think he can go all the way. I think Barcelona have made a mistake.” (TNT) pic.twitter.com/s7lTOoTzXc
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 19, 2024
It is still too early to decide if this signing has been a success for Chelsea or not, as the youngster is yet to perform at the toughest stage of football which is the Premier League. The physicality and speed in the league is something that not every foreign player can adapt to. When it comes to Guiu, he has barely had playing time in the league as the only time he has got the minutes is in the opening day defeat against Manchester City, coming on as a substitute.
You won’t see him dribble past defensive lines or score long range rockets, but he his a typical poacher who knows when to pounce on goal scoring opportunities. His positioning is something that is a big factor helping him get into those areas and causing havoc in opposition penalty boxes. His physicality and the nose for goal makes him a real threat in the opposition box, and in fact, his playing style is not that different from Barcelona’s current number 9, Robert Lewandowski.
The forward showed some promise in his previous two Conference League games, where he started and scored five times in those two outings. His form in the Eurpean level has truly been astonishing which suggests that he deserves playing time in the league. If we talk about Barcelona, they might just be regretting letting him go as currently they don’t have a proper long term replacement for ageing goal machine Lewandowski. Despite the fact that La Masia have a reputation of producing some of the top talents in football, Marc Guiu is someone who’s abilities could have been a massive boost for Hansi Flick and Barcelona.
Marc Guiu’s stunning first ever hat-trick for Chelsea against Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League would certainly raise questions on Barcelona’s decision to part ways with the young talent. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
