Marc Guiu must seize Chelsea chance vs Brentford after new striker signing was confirmed
Marc Guiu needs to impress for Chelsea against Brentford this weekend with his long-term future at the club looking very uncertain after they confirmed a new striker arrival for 2026.
Marc Guiu joined Chelsea from Barcelona last year after they activated a €6million (£5.2m) release clause in his contract [The Athletic] and tied him down to a six-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
He netted six times in 16 appearances last season, but with a lack of regular game-time likely this term after Chelsea brought in Liam Delap from Ipswich Town and signed Joao Pedro from Brighton, Guiu was allowed to join Sunderland on loan last month.
The Black Cats welcomed him in as they prepared for their Premier League return, but not for long as Guiu was recalled by Chelsea just weeks after he left following Liam Delap’s injury and Nicolas Jackson’s own loan exit to Bayern Munich.
Guiu could now be handed a rare league start by Maresca against Brentford on Saturday (13 September) with Joao Pedro an injury doubt, and the young Spaniard needs to prove his worth or he could be shown the door very soon after the Blues bolstered their attacking ranks.
Marc Guiu needs to shine vs Brentford as Chelsea confirm Emmanuel Emegha signing for 2026
With Pedro unlikely to start for the Blues on Saturday after just one day of training at Cobham following international duty with Brazil, Guiu seems likely to be called upon to lead the line as Maresca’s side aim to continue their strong start to the new campaign.
Not only will he want, and need, to start for the sake of his future prospects at the club, he also needs to prove that he has what it takes to be a Chelsea striker by impressing with his performance and topping it off with a goal.
He is obviously already a way down the pecking order at the club, effectively third-choice in attack behind Pedro and Delap, but next summer he currently looks set to be fourth-choice after Chelsea confirmed the signing of Strasbourg striker Emmanuel Emegha on Friday (12 September).
Emegha will be officially joining Maresca’s ranks for pre-season ahead of the 2026-27 campaign, and he boasts a great scoring record in Ligue 1, with 14 goals and three assists in 27 appearances last term, while he is simply more proven and a more well-rounded player than Guiu.
That means that, with this potentially set to be his one and only chance to start a Premier League game for Chelsea this season before both Pedro and Delap are fit to play again, the Spaniard has to shine against the Bees in West London to show that he can be a genuine option under Maresca.
If he doesn’t, then it seems highly likely that he will only be trusted in smaller games and off the bench late on once again, much like last season, and if that lasts for the whole campaign, then a permanent exit seems like the most probable outcome for him next summer.
Chelsea should have left Guiu out on loan and forced Nicolas Jackson to return
Guiu was a part of Chelsea’s Club World Cup-winning squad, which speaks to how highly-rated he is at the club, but he made just two appearances in their triumph, twice coming off the bench in group games.
The fact that he was allowed to join Sunderland a good few weeks ahead of the deadline shows that he was never truly meant to be part of Maresca’s set-up this season, and his inclusion has only come about due to injury to Delap.
| Appearances | Starts | Goals |
| 16 | 7 | 6 |
He is obviously a great talent, but the pathway is completely blocked at Stamford Bridge unless he proves his worth on Saturday, and Chelsea would realistically have been much better off forcing Jackson to stay as he successfully got his move to Bayern over the line late on.
Jackson is a much more proven striker than Guiu and did impress last season, and it was his attitude that seemed to be brought into question amid rumours of a departure in the summer, rather than his ability.
Keeping him as Pedro’s back-up would have given them a much better chance of success in both the Premier League and Champions League this term, but as it is, Jackson could now face Chelsea in Europe next week when the two sides meet at the Allianz Arena.