Manchester City contacted the EFL hoping that they’d allow Marc Guehi to feature in their Carabao Cup final clash with Arsenal, despite a rule preventing their £30million signing from being registered
11:20, 05 Feb 2026Updated 11:21, 05 Feb 2026
Pep Guardiola has been left furious(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
The Football League have rejected Manchester City’s request to have Marc Guehi available for the Carabao Cup final. Pep Guardiola is hopping mad that new signing Guehi remains ineligible for the showpiece clash against Arsenal on March 22.
EFL rules were tweaked this season, which mean players can turn out for two different teams in the competition in a single campaign which meant Antoine Semenyo started both legs of City’s semi-final against Newcastle United. But because Guehi arrived at the Etihad in a potential £30m deal after the first leg, he was ruled out of the second one and subsequent final next month.
Guardiola is less than impressed, and revealed City bosses would contact the EFL in a bid to get the situation overturned. But City’s pleas have fallen on deaf ears, with the League insisting there will be no change to the rule to accommodate Guehi.
The news is a big blow to Guardiola in his quest to win the first domestic trophy of the season and a huge boost to Arsenal rival Mikel Arteta.
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READ MORE: Man City demolish Newcastle to set up Arsenal showdown in Carabao Cup – 5 talking pointsREAD MORE: Carabao Cup final date, kick-off time and latest ticket information as Arsenal book Wembley date
Guardiola has been without defenders Ruben Dias, John Stones and Josko Gvardiol due to injury. And with Guehi now having to sit out the first final of the season, he will be desperate to have some of them back for the showdown with Arteta’s men.
After thumping Newcastle 5-1 on aggregate to book their ticket to Wembley, Guardiola said it was ‘pure logic’ that Guehi should be allowed to be registered. “Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final,” the City boss said.
“I don’t understand why he cannot play the final. 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.
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Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi were signed either side of the cutoff(Image: Michael Regan/Getty Images)
“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, ‘okay, 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.
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