As Liverpool continue to strengthen their side off the back of a second ever Premier League title, Arne Slot’s men have been linked with a move for Crystal Palace centre-back, Marc Guehi. The Englishman joined Palace from Chelsea in 2021 and has since developed into a solid defender. He’s become a key figure for the Eagles and for the England national team.
His strength and composure have helped him become a world-class player, capable of making a difference whenever he steps onto a football pitch and it’s easy to see why Liverpool are interested in bringing him to Anfield this summer. Would he go straight into the starting lineup, though? The Reds are blessed with some very good central defenders already in the form of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, so there will be plenty of competition for a starting spot should he move to Merseyside.
How does he compare to Van Dijk and Konate? Well, it’s time to take a close look at the trio’s stats throughout the 2024/25 campaign to see how he measures up and whether he’ll provide an upgrade for Slot.
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General stats
Van Dijk comes out on top
In terms of general statistics, Van Dijk has the edge on the others. The Dutchman played more Premier League games (37) than Guehi (34) and Konate (31). It highlights how crucial he was to Liverpool during their title charge. With the former missing nearly a fifth of league games, though, Guehi might have plenty of opportunities in the first-team.
While it’s not an area that is necessarily important for defenders, Guehi and Van Dijk both scored three league goals last season, while Konate hit the back of the net on just one occasion. Considering Van Dijk played the most games, it’s only natural that he also played the most minutes throughout the campaign and was consistently in Liverpool’s backline.
| Van Dijk vs Guehi vs Konate – General stats | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Virgil van Dijk | Marc Guehi | Ibrahima Konate |
| Games | 37 | 34 | 31 |
| Minutes | 3330 | 3059 | 2565 |
| Goals | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Defensive Stats
There’s not much separating Guehi and Van Dijk
Now, this is the stuff that truly matters. In terms of defensive statistics throughout the 2024/25 campaign, things are quite close between Guehi and Van Dijk. Both centre-backs are leaders in multiple categories, while Konate trails behind.
In terms of clearances, no one made more than Van Dijk (190) this year, with Guehi coming second with 156 and Konate follows with 125. Similarly, the former Southampton defender also leads the way in interceptions. His 56 is double Guehi’s 28 throughout the year. Konate once again comes third with 17 in comparison.
Van Dijk didn’t win every category, though, and the Palace star came out on top in terms of blocks. He made 23 throughout the season, while the Dutchman had 16, only just beating his teammate with 15. Guehi also had more ball recoveries, with 146, compared to Van Dijk’s 115 and Konate’s 98.
While he’s took a lumping so far, the former RB Leipzig man does come out on top in some areas. He didn’t concede a single penalty throughout the season, while the others both gave one away each. He’s also tied with his Liverpool teammate for the least yellow cards. The pair earned five each, while Guehi received seven.
| Van Dijk vs Guehi vs Konate – Defensive | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Virgil van Dijk | Marc Guehi | Ibrahima Konate |
| Clearances | 190 | 156 | 125 |
| Interceptions | 56 | 28 | 17 |
| Blocks | 16 | 23 | 17 |
| Ball recoveries | 115 | 146 | 98 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Penalties conceded | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Possession Stats
There’s a clear winner
As football evolves, there’s been more and more emphasis on defenders playing out from the back. As a result, it’s becoming important that centre-backs are comfortable in possession. So, looking at possession statistics, there’s a clear winner. Van Dijk leads in the majority of categories.
The Liverpool captain attempted the most passes, completed the most and had a higher pass accuracy percentage. He only came up short in one area and that was assists. He only recorded one assist throughout the year, while Guehi and Konate both finished the campaign with two under their belts. The latter did beat the Palace man in the majority of the possession stats.
| Van Dijk vs Guehi vs Konate – Possession | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Stat | Virgil van Dijk | Marc Guehi | Ibrahima Konate |
| Passes attempted | 2923 | 1741 | 1897 |
| Passes completed | 2680 | 1465 | 1713 |
| Pass accuracy | 91.69% | 84.15% | 90.3% |
| Assists | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Looking at the statistics, it’s clear that Van Dijk is still the measuring stick for incredible defenders and his importance to the Reds is clearer than ever. With that being said, Guehi offers a lot of things that Konate necessarily might not and with reports suggesting that the latter could be on his way to Real Madrid next summer once his contract expires, it would be hard to blame Slot if he did bring Guehi in this summer and slotted him straight into the starting lineup as Liverpool begin their title defence.
