‘We pay his salary' - Pep Guardiola launches petition for Marc Guehi to face Arsenal at Wembley after missing Carabao Cup semi-final

City booked their place in the Carabao Cup final with a comfortable 3-1 win on home soil against Newcastle, sealing a 5-1 aggregate victory, but the post-match conversation was dominated by the administrative red tape surrounding Guehi. The England centre-back, who arrived at the Etihad from Crystal Palace during the January transfer window, was ineligible for the semi-final tie. Under current competition rules, because Guehi was not registered before the first leg of the semi-final, he was barred from participating in the second leg and, by extension, is currently ruled out of the showpiece final at Wembley.

Guardiola did not hide his frustration when addressing the media, revealing that the club intends to challenge the decision in writing. He argued that the financial commitment the club has made to the player should trump bureaucratic scheduling quirks.

"Now it's the final so why should he not play? Why not?" Guardiola questioned, clearly agitated by the situation. "We pay his salary, we hire him as our player. It's logic. We'll make a letter, and hopefully they understand he's not able to play for a rule that I don't understand, hopefully they can change it and he can play."

Having spent heavily to bring Guehi in to shore up the defence, the Spaniard finds it incomprehensible that he cannot utilise his assets in a major final.

The manager highlighted the disconnect between the transfer market realities and the competition's regulations. "Marc can hopefully play the final," Guardiola stated. "You pay a lot of money and I can't understand why you can't play him in the final. Hopefully we can convince them, sometimes it's difficult to understand."

He also pointed out the specific confusion regarding the two-legged nature of the semi-final which seems to have triggered the exclusion. "Apparently Marc couldn't play the second leg because he didn't play the first," he explained, suggesting that while missing the second leg might have made sense procedurally, extending that ban to a standalone final in March is a step too far.

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Despite his impassioned plea and the confirmation that a formal letter is being drafted to the EFL, Guardiola remains realistic about the chances of success. The City boss has long been a vocal critic of the rigid footballing authorities in England, often clashing with them over scheduling and player welfare. When asked directly if he thought the rules would actually be overturned to accommodate Guehi, his optimism vanished.

"No," the Catalan replied bluntly. "To change the rule in this country? No way. We will try."

It appears that while City will go through the official motions to clear their defender for the Arsenal clash, the manager is already preparing for the likelihood that he will be without the 25-year-old at Wembley. This leaves City facing a potential defensive reshuffle against one of the most potent attacks in Europe, putting pressure on the remaining fit defenders to step up.

While the eligibility row rumbles on in the boardroom, City’s players delivered a emphatic statement on the pitch. The second leg against Newcastle was a procession, with the Magpies unable to overturn the deficit from the first encounter. Omar Marmoush was the star of the show, continuing his electric form since moving to Manchester with a well-taken brace that effectively ended the contest as a spectacle. Tijjani Reijnders added a third, rendering Anthony Elanga’s strike for Newcastle nothing more than a consolation.

The victory sets up a tantalising final against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal on March 22. The Gunners, currently flying high in the Premier League, will provide a stern test for Guardiola’s side. City are chasing their fifth Carabao Cup triumph under Guardiola’s stewardship, but the potential absence of Guehi adds an unwanted layer of complexity to their preparations. For now, the focus shifts to the lawyers and administrators, as City attempt to use "logic" to overturn the rulebook.