Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson reveals goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has REFUSED to play in pre-season games
ROY HODGSON has revealed that goalkeeper Vicente Guaita has refused to play for the club during pre-season.
The Crystal Palace manager has claimed that the Spaniard wants to leave after becoming “disenchanted with the club”.
Guaita, 36, only signed a new deal with the South London outfit in January, keeping him at the club until June 2024.
However, he has not featured for Palace during pre-season, with Hodgson left to rely on Sam Johnstone between the sticks.
He told Viaplay: “He [Sam Johnstone] is the only choice at the moment because Guaita is disenchanted with the club and has said he would like to move on.
“He’s refused to play in our games so far.
“A complication is that he has a year’s contract. It’s up to the club to decide, not him.
“He’s made it clear to everybody he doesn’t want to be here and compete with Sam Johnstone.
“So Sam Johnstone is No.1 and Remi Matthews is No 2.”
Despite Guaita’s determination to leave Selhurst Park, Hodgson has insisted that the club will have the final say on his future.
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He added: “When you sign a contract with a club, you commit yourself to what’s needed at that club.
“The classic thing that’s needed is to play football.
“When you no longer want to play football for that club it does cause a lot of friction.
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“I can’t physically make Guaita play but it’s not certain the club will accept his refusal to play and they’ll let him go.”
Guaita joined Palace in 2018 and has featured 154 times in all competitions and won the club’s Player of the Season award in the 2020/21 season.
Palace have only signed two players this summer with Jefferson Lerma arriving on a free transfer and the £20million signing of young Brazilian attacker Matheus França during the transfer window.
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