Plenty of potential Chelsea signings have already caught the eye at the World Cup, and Blues scouts will have been keeping a close eye on Turkey’s Arda Guler in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Already, eight matches have been played at this summer’s tournament, with Mexico, South Korea, USA, Scotland and Australia picking up wins. Morocco and Qatar earned draws against Brazil and Switzerland.
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Canada also earned their first-ever World Cup point with a draw against Bosnia. But after Qatar’s shock equaliser against Switzerland in injury time, we’ve now had the first surprise defeat of the competition.
Turkey were widely expected to beat Australia in Group D given they boast stars like Hakan Calhanoglu, Kenan Yildiz, Kerem Akturkoglu and £100m-rated Chelsea target, Guler. However, it wasn’t to be.
Chelsea target Arda Guler sparkles, but it wasn’t enough
Reports claim that Xabi Alonso is already in contact with Guler about a potential summer move to the Blues, having worked with Guler during his short stint as Real Madrid boss. It would be a surprise deal.
Especially with Chelsea lacking European football. But in the early hours of Sunday morning, Chelsea fans will have been impressed with what they saw from Guler, even if Turkey suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat.
Australia scored a goal in each half despite Turkey’s dominance, relying on a stunning performance from Australia’s goalkeeper Patrick Beach. But the stats show Guler was one of the best players on the pitch.
FotMob say Guler earned a 7.4, impressive given Turkey lost. Guler produced an XG of 0.53, second-highest on the pitch. He had eight shots, three on target, touching the ball nine times in Australia’s box.
His 106 touches in total were the fourth-most on the pitch, and his 68 successful passes out of 73 saw him find a teammate 93% of the time. Individually, Guler was excellent. As a whole, Turkey failed.
Jose Mourinho’s stance on Chelsea target Arda Guler
If Chelsea scouts were watching, they will have been impressed aside from the result. Alonso himself will not need convincing of Guler’s ability, and certainly, if Enzo Fernandez leaves, he might be perfect.
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Put the bias aside!
But where does Guler stand in regards to his Real Madrid future? According to reports from Spain, the Turkey star will be allowed to leave and Jose Mourinho has informed Guler he can leave if he pleases.
Currently, Guler has three years remaining on his contract at Valdebabas. Whether Chelsea can convince him, or spend the necessary funds to get him, remains to be seen. But on Sunday’s showing, they should.
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