Chelsea star recommended club to sign fellow countryman during transfer window

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Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic recommended RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol to the club this summer.

During the summer transfer window, bringing in a central defender or two appeared to be a priority for Thomas Tuchel.

Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana came through the door, but Chelsea midfielder Kovacic recommended one of his international colleagues to the club.

Speaking to the Evening Standard, Kovacic confirmed that he recommended Chelsea to sign Leipzig defender and Croatian international Gvardiol.

“At the club, they asked me about Joško, I told them all the best. I don’t need to say anything about his football, they know what kind of player he is, and his character is excellent,” said Kovacic.

Gvardiol is a young, up-and-coming defender, who would have been a perfect fit for Chelsea’s back-three system. The Croatian is comfortable playing on the left-hand side of a three, but Chelsea opted to sign former Leicester City defender Fofana.

“I have seen in the national team how eager he is to play, he has a great career ahead of him, and I hope that one day we will play together in the club,” added Kovacic.

Maybe, one day, Kovacic and Gvardiol can work together on club level, but after spending such a significant figure on Fofana this summer, it seems unlikely that they spend big on another defender in the near future.

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