Rio Ferdinand heaped huge praise on the reported Tottenham Hotspur target and Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol.
Gvardiol has been one of the standout players of the World Cup as he’s played a huge role in Croatia’s qualification from the group stage.
The 20-year-old has unsurprisingly garnered plenty of interest with Spurs the most recent team to be linked to the RB Leipzig centre-back by Corriere dello Sport, who reported a deal would cost between €70m-€80m (£60m-£68.5m) which would ultimately be a club record in North London.
Speaking on the BBC’s coverage of Croatia’s last 16 clash against Japan, Ferdinand was full of praise for the centre-back.
(14:45) “He’s been my favourite defender to watch in the tournament so far, he’s got great presence, he’s happy for the battle, physical and he’s got a wand of a left foot and he’s got pace as well. And I think those attributes there are what you need in a modern-day defender,” Ferdinand said.
TIF Thoughts on Ferdinand’s comments…
There aren’t many higher esteemed centre-backs to be complimented by than the six-time Premier League and Champions League winner, whose ability on the ball as well as defensive strength set him apart from the rest of the defenders at the time.
It’s very possible the Englishman can see a glimpse of himself in the Croat who has been an ever-present for Zlatko Dalic in Qatar, with him in the top 1% for passes attempted and dribbles completed with 86.81 and 1.05 per 90 respectively, also in the top 5% for progressive passes with 4.30 per 90, epitomising Ferdinand’s praise of his ball playing attributes.
Despite the reputation he’s built up in Qatar, he’s only started eight of Leipzig’s 15 league games so far, but his technical ability and strong left foot would see him easily slide into Spurs’ back-five setup with the potential to be a huge player under Antonio Conte.
However, it is apparent Spurs are up against it in the race for Gvardiol with Chelsea and Manchester City also said to be interested in him.