Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid transfer target Josko Gvardiol has been slammed for his performance in the Champions League. RB Leipzig were hammered 7-0 in the second leg against Pep Guardiola's men, with Gvardiol bullied by Erling Haaland, who scored five in the game.
The Croatian defender had received plenty of praise after the home leg, scoring his team's equaliser in Germany to ensure there was plenty to play for at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. Any hopes of pulling off an unlikely shock against the tournament favourites were wiped out quickly though.
After an entertaining start Haaland's penalty put City ahead - though the decision to award the handball decision has caused quite a stir - and then it was the Norway international's stage. He took it with both hands, rounding off a perfect hat-trick before half-time after scoring twice in two minutes earlier in the half.
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The tie was over by the break and Gvardiol's struggled to stop Haaland. In a week where the 22-year-old had been labelled 'the Haaland of defenders' he was totally outclassed on the biggest stage. Having been one of the standouts from the World Cup over the winter, the Croatia defender's stock has continued to rise after Chelsea first expressed interest in him last summer but this performance may well have come at the wrong time.
"We spoke about Gvardiol, the centre-back who’s being courted by all the top clubs in the world," Rio Ferdinand said during the break. "And he [Haaland] has put him through the ringer this half. He’s made him nervous, every duel they’ve had he’s probably come out on top. Nightmare first half."
City themselves are known to be huge admirers of Gvardiol, as are Real Madrid. Having proven himself as a top talent this season he is valued at over £70m and has a release clause eclipsing £100m in 2024. Chelsea themselves have already spent in advance of £200m on new defenders since the summer, including left-footed Benoit Badiashile in January.
Whether one bad showing against one of the strongest sides in the world makes them rethink the logistics of a potential Gvardiol deal are unknown but with Badiashile impressing in his early months as a Blue, Todd Boehly may decide - for once - to keep his wallet in his back pocket.
Elsewhere, there is also loanee Levi Colwill to take into account. He has been tipped for a bright future and will return to the club at the end of this season when his spell at Brighton comes to an end.
It was only in December that Ferdinand was ringing the praises for the Leipzig defender, saying: ''I think [Josko] Gvardiol was my favourite centre-back at the World Cup. He is young, he is 20 years old and the way he performed, so calm, so mature, he was really good on the ball.
''In the early stages we saw him coming out with the ball but against Argentina and Messi he got turned quite a few times, but this is Messi, so we can put that one side. In general, I thought he was a standout and I think he has the chance to be one of the best defenders in the world if he carries on like this.''
Gvardiol was embarrassed at one point in Qatar though, with Lionel Messi getting the better of him in a one-on-one duel in the semi-final. That was certainly the outlier to his impressive tournament, similar to this showing against City being the exception rather than the norm for his club.
With other areas of the squad still needing new additions, namely a top class striker, saving money on the defence could come into the minds of Todd Boehly and the owners when it comes to pursuing a deal. Gvardiol's display here, added to the players already at the club, make for an uncertain summer decision.
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