Gvardiol, Gakpo among 10 World Cup stars Leeds United could have had

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Cody Gakpo and Josko Gvardiol are not the only World Cup stars who slipped through Leeds United’s fingers… 

Josko Gvardiol – RB Leipzig and Croatia

That no one was blaming Josko Gvardiol after being twisted this way and that by Lionel Messi in Croatia’s 3-0 semi-final defeat to Argentina is testament to the PSG superstar’s enduring brilliance. Ripped limb from limb by the seven-time Ballon D’Or winner; it’s almost a rite of passage. You could probably count on one hand the defenders who have gone up against Messi and come out alive. 

Gvardiol, until that last-four clash, had been arguably the finest centre-half in Qatar. Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic even labelled him the ‘best defender in the world’ following that dramatic last-gasp clearance against Belgium in the group stages. 

Leeds United made a £20 million bid for Gvardiol when the then-teenager was plying his trade back home in Croatia with Dinamo Zagreb.

“True, he had an offer from Leeds,” Gvardiol’s agent said at the time. “But he chose Leipzig for the sporting project.”

Flash forward two years, and Manchester City are reportedly ready to spend a staggering £110 million on that very same player (Alfredo Pedulla).

Cody Gakpo – PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands

“He had two options to go to the Premier League,” former PSV director John de Jong said recently, both Leeds and Southampton seeing £30 million deals for Gakpo slip through their fingers on deadline day.

“I think it’s really better for Cody that he stayed. You can see at the World Cup now.”

Scoring three goals in five games on football’s biggest stage, Gakpo’s price-tag has almost doubled in a matter of months. And, with Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool all jostling for position at the front of the queue, the Gakpo ship has long-since sailed as far as Leeds are concerned. 

“I think Gakpo’s gotten out of our price range,” admits Jesse Marsch on the Men In Blazers podcast.

“We were so close to securing a transfer for him in the summer. It was so close. And now, obviously, it’s disappointing. Our sporting director (Victor Orta) was in Holland meeting with the family. They had agreed on terms, on everything. I mean, we were 99.9 per cent (done with Gakpo).”

Noa Lang – Club Brugge and Netherlands

In comparison to Gakpo, Club Brugge talisman Lang played a back-seat role in Qatar. He did feature during the quarter-final defeat to Argentina, however; the former Ajax starlet’s reward for 28 goals and 29 assists in just over two years in Belgium. 

“Noa has received several offers,” Club Brugge president Bart Verhaeghe tells Het Nieuwsblad. “Some clubs have talked to him, like Milan or Leeds. “For us, he had the green light to leave. But, in the end, he chose to stay. He wanted to stay.”

Bamba Dieng – Marseille and Senegal

The Marseille forward didn’t start a single one of Senegal’s four games in Qatar. But he still found the time to score a goal, slamming home a brilliant left-footed finish in the 3-1 group-stage victory over the host nation. How Leeds could have done with Dieng’s emphatic shooting ability during another injury-enforced Patrick Bamford absence. 

Leeds agreed an £8 million deal with Marseille on deadline day back in September, only for Dieng to decide to stay the other side of the Channel. 

Nicolas Tagliafico – Lyon and Argentina

Marcos Acuna’s injury handed Lyon left-back Tagliafico the chance to catch the eye during Argentina’s semi-final clash with Croatia and he certainly did that; the former Ajax man equally-effective at both ends of the pitch. A start in Sunday’s final is now a distinct possibility. 

According to AS, Leeds held talks with Tagliafico in 2021. He would join Lyon for a bargain £4 million a few months later.

Rodrigo de Paul – Atletico Madrid and Argentina

Much to Leeds’ frustration – and De Paul’s too – Udinese refused to budge on their £30 million asking price during the summer of 2020.

“We thought about it, but I don’t think anyone will sign him,” chairman Andrea Radrizzani told Radio24 at the time, after De Paul had taken to Twitter to all-but confirm his desire to join compatriot Marcelo Bielsa at Elland Road.

Two years on, and now with Atletico Madrid, De Paul could line up alongside Tagliafico in the World Cup final.

Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa and Argentina

The word of Phil Hay is pretty much gospel in West Yorkshire. So when The Athletic reporter tweeted back in 2020 that Leeds had an interest in then-Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, it became clear that such rumours were more than merely tomorrow’s fish and chip paper.

Premier League rivals Aston Villa would sign Martinez for a cool £20 million later that summer. Now one of the game’s most reliable shot-stoppers, the late-blooming stopper will start vs Kylian Mbappe, Olivier Giroud and co this weekend.

Charles de Ketelaere – AC Milan and Belgium

Gakpo is not the only exciting young attacker Leeds made a big-money bid rejected for earlier this year. 

“Leeds United offered 40 million euros (£35 million) for Charles,” Club Brugge CEO Vincent Mannaert tells the MidMid Podcast. “It is not that De Ketelaere was not interested. But his preference was for AC Milan.”

It’s not exactly been a dream campaign for De Ketelaere so far, however. His Belgium side crashed out of the World Cup in round one, while De Ketelaere is yet to score in 18 games for AC Milan.

Michy Batshuayi – Chelsea and Belgium

Chelsea’s forgotten man received his fair share of criticism over in Qatar. But it should not be forgotten that, in Romelu Lukaku’s absence, Batshuayi did fire Belgium to their only win of the tournament with a stunning finish against Canada. 

“One that’s definitely of interest is Michy Batshuayi down at Chelsea,” Phil Hay said of the well-travelled striker back in 2020. 

“Bielsa knows him from Marseille, and he knows a lot about his game.” 

Batshuayi is now embarking upon yet another loan spell, this time at Fenerbahce.

Borna Sosa – Stuttgart and Croatia

“He has an offer from Leeds.” So said the Stuttgart flyer’s agent a year-and-a-half ago. “Some other clubs from the Premier League are also interested. Only the English can pay as much as Stuttgart is asking because I estimate it will be about €20 million (£18 million).”

Amid interest from Manchester City, and following his impressive displays during Croatia’s run to the semi-final, Josko Gvardiol’s international team-mate should cost a bit more than that these days.