Vicente Guaita was on the bench for Crystal Palace on Sunday, as they lost 2-0 to Chelsea at Wembley.
Ahead of the match, the goalkeeper spoke to the Spanish media, and it appears he thought he would be playing. When asked about his excitement ahead of the FA Cup tie, Guaita was quoted by AS as saying: “It’s the first time I’ll play there and it’s always exciting. I was as a fan watching a boxing match between Joshua and Povetkin. They put more than 90,000 spectators there.”
That wasn’t to be for Guaita, but it doesn’t take much away from the good season he’s been having for the Premier League club. He’s been at Crystal Palace since 2018 and not long after he arrived there were endless Spanish rumours about a return to the country.
It didn’t seem to be a case of things being plucked from thin air, with Guaita’s representatives and the Eagles seemingly having different views on the status of his contract.
That was quickly put behind everyone involved, and he now has a contract with Crystal Palace until 2023 with an option for a further year.
AS inevitably asked about a potential return to Spanish football, and Guaita was happy to drops some hints for the Spanish newspaper: “I have one year left on my contract and an optional one at Palace. I’m very comfortable in the Premier League, it’s amazing how you 
live football here. I have less and less years left and I don’t know if I will have those years to be able to return to Spain. I would like to return to Valencia. I think I could have played for many years at Valencia. Being a Valencianista, leaving the quarry… how can I not want to return to Valencia?”
Crystal Palace would likely block a return this summer, and this is perhaps a situation which will build towards the end of next season.
