Pep Guardiola has called on the EFL to revise its eligibility rules so new signing Marc Guehi can play in Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Guardiola said he struggles to understand why a player the club has bought and pays should be prevented from featuring in a showpiece match.
Guardiola pointed to City’s other January arrival, Antoine Semenyo, as an example. Semenyo joined from Bournemouth four days before the first-leg trip to Newcastle and was eligible to play — and he even scored. That, Guardiola argued, makes it hard to see why Guehi should be treated differently.
He asked the club to appeal to the EFL and questioned the logic behind the restriction, given existing transfer rules set by FIFA, UEFA and the Premier League. Guardiola said the timing of a transfer should allow a player to participate, and vowed the club will try to get Guehi cleared for the March final, even if he expected the initial response to be negative.
City have already benefited this season from a recent change that allows players to appear for two different clubs in the same cup competition, rather than becoming cup-tied. That amendment enabled Semenyo and Max Alleyne — who had played earlier rounds for Bournemouth and Watford respectively — to take part in the semi-finals for City.
Guardiola’s appeal highlights the apparent inconsistency in how eligibility rules are being interpreted and puts pressure on the EFL to provide clarity or amend the regulations ahead of the final.
