sport news Chelsea well-placed to sign Croatia's Josko Gvardiol following World Cup trends now
Josko Gvardiol always seemed destined for the top. The only question, it seems, was in which position.
When word of his talent first started to spread a few agents travelled to Croatia on an early due diligence mission expecting to see a potentially world class talent left back, as he had been intriguingly billed.
So their surprise was obvious when Gvardiol, then 15, started in central midfield in Dinamo Zagreb's academy derby against Lokomotiva Zagreb.
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Gvardiol was needed to help solve an injury crisis, with his Dinamo coaches viewing him as the only one in his group they could trust to play anywhere.
They were more than vindicated when Gvardiol scored twice and set up a third goal all before half-time and he performed so well he remained in midfield for the rest of the campaign.
The following season, those who had already adjusted their expectations of Gvardiol once to view him as an exceptionally gifted midfielder were left scratching their heads again when his new coach, Dalibor Poldrugac, decided that his future would now be in central defence.
Poldrugac described Gvardiol as a diamond, was adamant he would be a world class central defender and starting for Croatia by 19.
After just six months in his new position, Gvardiol's rise for club and country quickly gathered pace leading to a first-team debut aged 17. Europe's biggest clubs really began going crazy for him and
