Ivory Coast Want Budding England Star To Switch His International Allegiance, Player Has One Cap
Ivory Coast will approach an England defender in regards to switching his international allegiance, confirms their manager.
Patrice Beaumelle's team face Gareth Southgate's Three Lions tonight in a friendly clash at Wembley Stadium.
And the Frenchman, whose been in charge of Ivory Coast since 2020, is hoping to poach one of Southgate's budding stars.
Beaumelle wants Marc Guehi to represent Les Elephants, having made his England debut against Switzerland last weekend.
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The Crystal Palace man, who was born in Ivory Coast, started in his side's 2-1 victory - but is eligible to play for the African nation.
Guehi playing in a friendly match means he's still open to switching his international allegiance, with Beaumelle set to contact the player.
"I have been following Marc for two years, since he was playing at Swansea," he explained.
"I know he can still choose Ivory Coast so we are working on that. I tried to contact him several weeks ago.
"But when I saw him in the English lists I understood that at the moment he wants to try with the Three Lions.
"The choice has to come from the heart. He will make his own decision. He did well in his first cap for England.
"Maybe we will try for the orange jersey of Ivory Coast - you never know.
"I will wait a few weeks and try to contact him to know if he is interested."
Guehi played the full 90 minutes and his showing at the back impressed Southgate, who praised his senior international bow.
Speaking after the game, the 51-year-old said: "It was a really good test; we know they are a very good side and a great challenge for us.
"We learned a lot about some new players and some inexperienced players in an international shirt.
"We played out form the back well, Ben White and Marc Guehi were very good," he added. "Ben got caught a bit for the goal but apart from that to come in at late notice with John Stones feeling something, he and Marc should be pleased."
If Beaumelle successfully lures Guehi to Ivory Coast, then it won't be the first player who has made the switch.
Wilfried Zaha made two appearances for England before changing his international allegiance.
Guehi, meanwhile, represented England at youth level before making his senior debut against Switzerland.
His displays for Palace earned him his first call-up, but could he snub England in favour of representing Ivory Coast?
Topics: Ivory Coast, England, Football
Nasir Jabbar