Manchester City: EFL will not change rules after Guardiola slams Guehi’s absence from cup final

The EFL will not change the rules to allow Manchester City defender Marc Guehi to play in the EFL Cup final, despite protestations from manager Pep Guardiola.

City knocked out holders Newcastle United 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals to progress to the showpiece at Wembley, where they will face Premier League leaders Arsenal next month.

But Guehi will be unable to feature in the final, even with the EFL relaxing some of its rules around cup-tied players for this season.

The competition rules state Guehi had to have joined City “prior to the closure of the Winter transfer window, or the first leg of the semi-final (whichever is sooner)” to be eligible to play for them having already featured for Crystal Palace.

City were able to utilise Antoine Semenyo in the semi-final despite the winger already playing for Bournemouth in the competition. Semenyo was signed on January 9, four days before City faced Newcastle in the first leg. The Ghana international scored the opening goal in a hard-fought 2-0 win.

Guehi, signed 10 days later, will be a spectator for the final, though, with multiple reports stating the EFL will not be making any further adjustments to the rules, even after Guardiola’s impassioned words following the 3-1 second-leg victory over the Magpies.

What did Manchester City boss say on Guehi rule?

Centre-back Max Alleyne, who played for Watford in the competition while on loan at the Hornets earlier in the season, was also able to feature for City in the last four.

He may now be involved in some capacity in the final after Guardiola’s comments regarding Guehi’s ineligibility fell on deaf ears.

“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he cannot play the final,” Guardiola said in his post-match press conference.

“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,”

“Antoine arrived before the first [game] so could play. And now it’s the final. Why should he [Guehi] not play? Why not? We pay his salary, he is our player.

“I said to the club, they have to ask, definitely. I don’t understand the reason why he cannot play in the final in March, when I have been here for a long time. 

“The rules to buy a player depends on FIFA, UEFA, the Premier League who say, OK the transfer window is open, when you buy a player you have to play, no? It’s logic. Of course we are going to try to ask [for] him to play. Pure logic.”

Asked if he thought the EFL would acquiesce to City’s request, Guardiola replied: “No. But we will try.”

City’s centre-back options were swelled by the return of Ruben Dias to the substitutes bench on Wednesday following a hamstring injury that has kept him out since the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on January 4.

Guardiola also has Abdukodir Khusanov and Nathan Ake who can play in that role, though two other options, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol, remain sidelined.