Pep Guardiola has launched a fierce criticism of the English Football League after learning that new signing Marc Guéhi will be barred from playing in Manchester City’s Carabao Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley.

Guéhi, the England centre-back signed from Crystal Palace in the January window, is ineligible under competition regulations despite being fully registered as a City player. The rules state that to feature in the Carabao Cup, a player must be registered before the closure of the winter transfer window or before the first leg of the semi-final, whichever comes earlier.

Because Guéhi arrived after City’s 2-0 first-leg victory over Newcastle, he was unable to play in either leg of the semi-final and is now also blocked from appearing in the showpiece final. Guardiola, speaking after City’s 5-1 aggregate win over Newcastle, made clear his frustration and confirmed the club will appeal to the EFL.

“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final. I don’t understand why he cannot play the final. You buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play because of a rule I don’t understand,” Guardiola said.

The City manager highlighted what he sees as an inconsistency in the regulations by pointing to the case of Antoine Semenyo. The forward, signed from Bournemouth four days before the first leg, was eligible for the semi-final and scored in that match. Guéhi, arriving later in the window, is treated differently despite being a permanent signing.

“Antoine arrived before the first game so he could play. Now it’s the final. Why should Marc not play? We pay his salary, he is our player,” Guardiola added.

Guardiola also noted that the EFL has already modernised some aspects of the competition this season, scrapping traditional cup-tying rules that once prevented players from representing more than one club in the same campaign. That change allowed Semenyo and defender Max Alleyne to feature for City in the semi-finals despite earlier appearances for Bournemouth and Watford.

City hope that precedent will strengthen their case, but Guardiola admitted he is not optimistic about a late reprieve for Guéhi. Asked whether he truly expects the EFL to bend, he replied bluntly: “No. But we will try.”