Vieira struck gold on "massive" £31k-p/w Palace "tank" whose value has rocketed 200% - opinion

Crystal Palace had a very busy previous summer transfer window, not just in terms of seeing Patrick Vieira appointed as Roy Hodgson’s replacement in the manager position, but also with the number of players that were moved in and out of the club.

One player the Eagles signed on a permanent deal over the summer that has already proved to be a great bit of business from the south London club is defender Marc Guehi.

Since joining from fellow Premier League club Chelsea in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, the centre-back has gone on to play the full 90 minutes in all but one of Palace’s 29 league games in this campaign, showing how important he now is to the team.

To highlight what a useful defensive figure he is, no other Palace player has managed to equal the average of clearances per game (3.5) that the 21-year-old has racked up.

Also, only Christian Benteke (82) has won more duels than the young defender this season, proving what a tough opponent he is at the back.

Overall, the former Chelsea youngster, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £31k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has earned himself an overall performance rating of 6.77, making him the sixth-highest rated player in Vieira’s squad according to WhoScored.

The defender’s performances for Palace even convinced England manager Gareth Southgate to give Guehi his first senior call-up during the current international break.

Back in June 2021, shortly before he made the move to Selhurst Park, Transfermarkt rated the Englishman’s market value listed at £9m, whereas it now stands at a massive £27m, showing a whopping increase of 200%.

Labelled as an “absolute tank” by Josef Bursik, as well as being a “massive” player on the pitch, Guehi has certainly