Cooper lauds Guehi's versatility and maturity

10th January
First team
Marc Guehi

Steve Cooper believes Marc Guehi’s versatility and maturity can help him make the step up to senior football with Swansea City.

The Chelsea defender’s loan move to the Liberty for the rest of the season was rubberstamped today, with Guehi available to feature in Sunday’s Championship derby with Cardiff City.

The 19-year-old has made two appearances for Chelsea this season – both in the EFL Cup against Grimsby and Manchester United – and now hopes to top up his game-time with the Swans.

Guehi follows in the footsteps of former Blues academy and England Under-17s team-mate Rhian Brewster, who completed his loan move from Liverpool earlier this week.

Both were key figures under Cooper during England’s success at the U17s World Cup in 2017, while Guehi captained the team at the European Championships just months prior.

And Cooper is confident Guehi has the tools to make the step up from youth level.

Marc Guehi

“It’s the next step for him. He’s taking the step up from development football to senior football,” said Cooper.

“There are plenty of examples in football where loans play a big part in a young player’s development. Mason Mount, last season at Derby, is a good example.

“Closer to home, although it was before my time I’m told Oli McBurnie benefited a lot from his spell at Barnsley and returned here a better player.

“Marc can play anywhere across the back four, which is important because you need players who are versatile.

“Marc is a calming influence and when he’s a lot older he will be a real leader and captain.

“We have some good, young players at the club who are breaking through. The likes of Brandon Cooper - who played his first senior game this season last weekend - Ben Cabango and Jordon Garrick have had that taste of first-team football and there are others not far behind them.

“So we have good, young, hungry players with talent at this club and that’s a good thing to have.”