Dean Ashton was left wowed by Chelsea target Josko Gvardiol after his World Cup display yesterday in the Croatia victory against Brazil.
Croatia upset the pre-tournament favourites on Friday by beating Brazil on penalties. It sets up an intriguing semi-final clash next week against Argentina.
RB Leipzig star Gvardiol, 20, delivered yet another eye-catching performance on the World Cup stage to only enhance his reputation further.
The Croatian defender has been rock solid at the back for his country in this tournament, something that continued into the quarter-final win against Brazil.
He put in numerous blocks and challenges during a gruelling 120 minutes against Brazil that finished 1-1. Afterwards, Croatia won yet another penalty shootout to dump the South Americans out of the competition.
Josko Gvardiol against Brazil
TalkSPORT pundit Dean Ashton highlighted the brilliance of Gvardiol while covering yesterday’s World Cup tie:
“Gvardiol has been an unbelievable player in this tournament,” Ashton told talkSPORT.
He later added: “I’ve got to say, [Dejan] Lovren has been good today hasn’t he besides Gvardiol? They’ve marshalled that backline, they haven’t dived in and kept Brazil at bay brilliantly.”
Chelsea are one of the teams linked with a move to get Leipzig’s breakout star.
According to 90min, Graham Potter’s side are actually optimistic about signing the Croatia centre-back and feel a deal may be close.
In addition, Fabrizio Romano claims that the Blues are currently working on negotiating the transfer to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
It’s remarkable to see him pass every test thrown at him in this World Cup with flying colours.
He’s a Rolls-Royce defender that played so well yet again against France. Can he deal with a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina in the semis, though?
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