The saga around Yoshko Guardiola continues unabated.
Croatia shows the world not so many football diamonds, but it is one of the brightest. For a long time the lady was led by a trio in the center of the field with Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic. The new leader of the national team, claimed by the top world leaders, has already become 21-year-old central defender Joshko Guardiol. The most active attempts to sign a talented footballer are made by Manchester City.
Followed with world Cup-2022, Pep himself wants to sign
The young central defender was the discovery of the last World Cup: already at that moment City were following the Croatian’s progress. There were insiders that Josep Guardiola, the Citizens manager, was personally interested in signing Joshko, and the club bosses sent Leipzig a transfer offer with compensation of €110 million.
Overall, it’s not that surprising SM Guardiola wants to get so badly – he is already now one of the best in everything related to the promotion of the ball. Yoshko actively goes to the pass, not afraid to go to the blow. Often the same 21-year-old Croatian undertakes to push the ball forward and can drag it to someone else’s support. And this attention to the attack does not affect the reliability of the defence. In England, the defender’s confidence in the ball has already been appreciated. Here’s what the former footballer said Manchester United Rio Ferdinando:
Guardiol was my favorite defender at the World Cup. He’s young, he’s 20, but he played very calmly, in an adult way, he worked very well with the ball. In the early stages we saw him come out of defense with the ball, but in the match against Argentina and Messi he was caught several times. But this is Messi – you can ignore it. I think overall he has excelled, he has a chance to become one of the best defenders in the world if he keeps playing like this.
For the Spanish coach this component is extremely important: in the derby with Man United, City broke the opponent’s pressure precisely because of the activity of the central defenders (Ake with the ball advanced to the central circle). Also, if the aggressive style of play is complemented by verified passing. So the interest of the “citizens” in Yoshko is quite understandable.
Ready to let Laporte go
In parallel with this, it seems that another central defender, Aymeric Laporte, is ready to leave Manchester City. Until recently, the Spaniard was one of the pillars of the “city” defense: he was often injured, but in those moments when he was healthy, he confidently won the competition from his teammates.
However, Emeric spent most of his time in the infirmary. Of the more than 5 seasons with City, the centre-back made over 30 league appearances in two. He has resumed the current championship, recovering from knee surgery. Perhaps Guardiola was simply tired of Laporte’s constant absence, and now a player has appeared capable of replacing him.
Yes, and the Spanish defender has already left the main clip: back on duty, Emeric alternated matches at the start with matches in reserve, the latter over time became much more. His absence does not affect the concept of the “citizens” game. And according to the latest insiders, Laporte is no longer sure whether to stay at the club. It was also reported that the bosses of the “blue sky” will not interfere with the player’s departure.
Even if he leaves, Man City will have a pretty strong central defence. There are 4 defenders in the team without Guardiola. But the Stones, for example, are prone to injury, as is Emerick. In his absence, the mentor of the Citizens will have a wide choice: the main link will probably be Yoshko and Ruben Dias. Josep also has Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji at his disposal, both of whom managed to become first-team players and maintain the quality mark.
The player will have to fight
By the way, the fight for such a bright talent will be serious: besides City, there are enough contenders for Guardiola. Together with them, Chelsea have been negotiating with Leipzig since December. Recently, the “aristocrats” have returned to the option of signing a Croatian central defender, however, if they can pay a large fee (from 2024, a 110 million euro release clause will start to work in Joshko’s contract with Leipzig). At the same time, Real Madrid also joined the fight for the footballer in the winter. The management of the Spanish giant estimates the Leipzig defender at 90 million euros. English clubs have a significant advantage – the Croatian himself said that he preferred to continue his career in Premier League:
One day I want to be in the Premier League. I understand that I have to take a few steps first, but I really want to play there. Leipzig is also a good club, I like everything here.
During the competition with Chelsea, the “citizens” even managed to discuss the details of a personal contract, and Pep Guardiola contacted Joshko – all this says something. Furthermore, all the inside information on the deals appeared before the winter transfer window. A lot has changed this month. For example, Londoners bought so many players that they lost their identity and went bankrupt. The project of the new owners of the Blues is definitely not a promising project, and this will certainly affect Guardiol’s position. City, on the other hand, have long maintained their place in the league and European competitions – and are updating their squad in a timely manner which allows them not to go bust in short spells. Croatian choice.
