Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on the English Football League (EFL) to amend rules so that Marc Guehi can feature in the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal on 22 March at Wembley.
Guehi, who joined City from Crystal Palace after the first leg of the semi-final against Newcastle, is currently ineligible under competition rules, which require players to join “prior to the closure of the Winter transfer window, or the first leg of the semi-final (whichever is sooner).”
“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play in the final. I don’t understand why he cannot play,” Guardiola said. He added that other January signings, like Antoine Semenyo, were eligible because they joined before City’s first leg against Newcastle.
Guardiola stressed the logic of the request: “You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. Of course we are going to try to ask [for him to play]. Pure logic.”
The manager also highlighted that City previously benefited from a rule change allowing players to feature for two teams in the same competition, which permitted Semenyo and Max Alleyne to play in the semi-final despite appearing for Bournemouth and Watford earlier in the tournament.
City’s efforts to have Guehi cleared could provide a defensive boost in their pursuit of the trophy against Arsenal.
