At last: a £4.5m Fantasy Premier League (FPL) forward with real game-time potential!
The deal is done, the medical passed and the contract signed: Sunderland have captured Marc Guiu (£4.5m) on loan from Chelsea for 2025/26.
If the youngster gets regular starts, he could be ideal bench fodder in FPL. Occasionally needed as an autosub, he’d then bring appearance points and perhaps a goal or two.
Goalscoring potential, where he fits in at Sunderland and an encouraging ‘appearance clause’ – we cover it all in this Moving Target piece…
HISTORY
Firstly, let’s perfect the pronunciation of a surname that is 75% vowel. It’s Marc Gi-yoo.
The Catalonia native progressed through Barcelona’s famous La Masia academy and made his senior debut for them in October 2023. Entering in the 79th minute, it took just 23 seconds for him to score the winner past Athletic Club.
Two months later came a Champions League strike at Antwerp, but he was barely used afterwards.
| SEASON | CLUB | STARTS (SUB) | GOALS | ASSISTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024/25 | Premier League | 0 (3) | 0 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | Conference League | 6 (3) | 6 | 0 |
| 2024/25 | Other competitions | 1 (3) | 0 | 0 |
This encouraged Chelsea to activate Guiu’s €6m release clause midway through 2024.
While the Spain Under-19 international was limited to 71 minutes from three Premier League cameos, he did well in the Conference League, scoring six times in the group stage – albeit versus FC Noah, Astana and Shamrock Rovers.
However, a hamstring injury kept him sidelined during 2024/25’s final months – except for a few late minutes in the victorious final over Real Betis.
Inevitably, the additions of Liam Delap (£6.5m) and Joao Pedro (£7.5m) have pushed the teenager towards a loan deal. But without any purchase option, as Chelsea have high long-term hopes for him.
WHAT’S HIS GOALSCORING POTENTIAL?
Admittedly, the sample size for assessing Guiu is small.
That Barcelona debut goal saw him stay onside while peeling off the defender, calmly slotting home a low shot. Meanwhile, his Antwerp equaliser was a header, as was a third of the Shamrock Rovers hat-trick.
When interviewed by Sky Sports, Albert Capellas – Barcelona’s former Assistant Director of Youth Football – praised Guiu’s skill set, which is different to the academy’s usual graduate.
“Marc Guiu is a finisher. He is a deep runner. He is a very good header. Fast, powerful, a fantastic boy. Very competitive.
“Guiu is not a player who has unbelievable skills one against one, who can dribble past players. He is another type of player but he is exceptional in his position, in the work that he has to do, in his mentality. He has the nose to score goals.” – Albert Capellas
Very much an ‘in the box’ forward, he’s an intelligent runner, good in the air and has a high work rate that’s ideal for a side that presses from the front.
Because yes, three of his six Conference League goals were due to defensive errors, but without pressing, they’d have led nowhere.
A bit more of Guiu’s talents were on display against Astana last December. His right-footed finish ended a solo run to break the deadlock, later poking in at the near post after anticipating Pedro Neto‘s (£7.0m) cross.
WHERE GUIU FITS IN AT SUNDERLAND
Under the tactically intelligent Regis Le Bris, Sunderland evolved into a counter-attacking team as last season progressed.
The Mackems don’t mind conceding possession. Instead, they’ll be relying on pacy wingers and the incisive passes of Enzo Le Fee (£5.0m) to hurt opponents.
Above: Championship teams sorted by counter-attack shots in 2024/25, via WhoScored
There’s no mystery about where Guiu will feature amongst all this when he’s on the field: up front.
His entire career has been spent as a centre-forward, so there’s very little chance of him featuring wide or in the hole.
Eliezer Mayenda (£5.5m), the incumbent in the striker’s role, does have experience of playing elsewhere, however. In the middle of last season, the budget forward popped up on either flank and also as a second striker.
It doesn’t have to be an either/or with Mayenda and Guiu, then, with the former potentially able to play elsewhere to accommodate Guiu centrally.
THE REPORTED ‘GAME-TIME CLAUSE’ – GOOD FOR FPL MANAGERS!
Given that Guiu joins Sunderland 10 days before their first Premier League game, and with the ex-Barca man having had a delayed return to pre-season due to Club World Cup involvement, it’s a good bet that Le Bris will start Mayenda up top in Gameweek 1.
Fellow striker Wilson Isidor (£5.5m) scored more often during the Championship campaign but Mayenda slowly established himself as first choice and began all three playoff matches, scoring two huge goals.
He’s led the line throughout pre-season, too, with Isidor sidelined with a minor issue.
The money would be on Guiu featuring from the bench at first, then.
However, some potentially good news for prospective FPL owners emerging from the Athletic…
Armando Broja‘s ill-fated loan spell at Everton last season is a reminder that even clauses can’t guarantee starts. However, at least there is some incentive for Sunderland to hand their new loan signing game-time.
IS GUIU WORTH BUYING IN FPL?
The questionable early-season ‘xMins’ mightn’t deter FPL managers who just want the cheapest possible forward, as they proceed with 3-5-2 or even 4-4-2, now that defensive contribution points exist. Extended game time would simply be a bonus.
Guiu certainly seems much more likely to get some than fellow £4.5m strikers Eli Junior Kroupi, Chido Obi and Ashley Barnes. It’s surely just a matter of when, not if.
Sunderland also have a very good early schedule that tops our Fixture Ticker for quite a while. Wolves and Everton at home come in Gameweeks 8 and 10, which might be more realistic targets for Guiu starts.
Indeed, Guiu could be especially handy for FPL managers wanting to activate a Bench Boost closer to Christmas, if and when he establishes himself as a regular.
All in all, if you’re after a £4.5m forward, he’s your man.
Probably the main caveat comes for those wanting to use a Bench Boost in Gameweek 1. Given Guiu’s late arrival/return to pre-season, his opening-weekend minutes look more uncertain.
