The OlyWhites' historic Olympic campaign might be the catalyst for attacker Matthew Garbett to secure a career-changing transfer.
Garbett made two starting appearances during the tournament - in New Zealand’s 0-0 draw with Romania and the heartbreaking penalty shootout quarter-final loss to Japan.
His performances have caught the eye of three English Premier League clubs that could see a transfer tug-of-war between Crystal Palace, Watford and Brentford, according to The Sun.
The 19-year-old, who currently plays for Falkenbergs in Sweden’s second division, recorded two of the OlyWhites eight shots in the last eight encounter.
The London-born forward was one of the most sought-after teenagers in Europe, before joining his Swedish club in January 2020, after a breakthrough campaign with the New Zealand U17 team at their World Cup in 2019, where he scored two goals in three games, as his side finished third in the group with a win and two losses.
The 19-year-old impressed with his two performances at the Olympics with his all-round display and tireless workrate.
The attacker won nine ground and aerial duels, while going about his defensive work effectively with six tackles, more than any other player in the penalty shootout loss.
Garbett also recorded a solid 83 percent pass success rate, while completing three long balls he attempted.
If the move to the English top flight eventuates, he would join Chris Wood at Burnley and All Whites skipper Winston Reid at West Ham as the only New Zealanders in the division.
