Man city Signs Mateo Kovacic for £25m as initial fee
The discussion for signing Mateo Kovacic between Man City and Chelsea had been concluded, as Man City signs Mateo Kovacic for £25m as initial fee.
Chelsea are continuing to sell players as they look to trim their large squad for new manager Mauricio Pochettino. The fellow Midfielder N’Golo Kante had agree to join Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.
Kovacic had joined Chelsea from Real Madrid 2019, initially on loan before signing a five year contract. Jude Bellingham had joined Real Madrid for 115 million euros from Borussia Dortmund on a four year contract.
The fee is understood to be worth an initial £25m guaranteed plus £5m in performance related add-ons. A formal announcement of Kovacic joining last season’s treble winner is expected soon.
it’s also true that Kovacic was never signed to be an attacking, goal-scoring midfielder, as a total of 18 goals in eight years for his three previous clubs should have shown. On other hand, Arsenal succeeded in signing chelsea’s forward Kai Havertz for 65 million euros.
Instead, the Croatia international’s strengths lie at the heart of midfield. Since he arrived in the Premier League in the summer of 2018, Kovacic ranks fifth for both completed take-on and passes per 90 among midfielders.
Kovacic said, “This is a brilliant move for me, and I cannot wait to get started with City.” “Anyone who has watched this team under [manager] Pep [Guardiola] knows how good they are – for me, they are the best in the world. The trophies they have won are clear for all to see, but they are also the best footballing side out there.
“To be joining this squad really is a dream for any footballer. I still have plenty of learning and developing to do, and I know under Pep’s management I can become a better player, which is really exciting for me.
“My plan now is to rest for a few weeks before coming back to Manchester to prepare for the new season. I want to help this club stay at the top and win more trophies.”
Mateo Kovacic journey over the season
He had won four major trophies during his time at Chelsea, while making 221 appearances for the club. The Chelsea allowing Mateo Kovacic to exit Chelsea, even to one of their premier league rivals is easy to understand, given had just one year remaining on his contract and at 29, had limited interest in signing up for the rebuilding project in west London. Man CIty’s Ilkay Gundagon move to Barcelona on free transfers through summer window.
It’s true that Kovacic’s impact in the final third has been modest at best, while his reluctance to shoot from dangerous positions has always been a curiosity given his excellent technical ability.
Mateo Kovacic, the Chelsea midfielder, has taken part in a strong number of the team’s Premier League games in 2022/2023, making 27 appearances overall and accumulating 1,704 minutes of playing time. He has started in 17 of these appearances across their 38 fixtures and come on as a substitute on 10 occasions.
Kovacic last featured in a Premier League game on May 28, playing 20 minutes for Chelsea against Newcastle United in a 1-1 draw. In total, the midfielder has notched one Premier League goal this term, and provided two assists. He has been shown eight yellow cards.
He opened his account for the campaign against Leicester City on March 11, scoring during a 3-1 victory. Last season for Chelsea, Kovacic made 25 Premier League appearances, scored two goals and provided five assists. Kovacic moved to Chelsea in July 2019 from Real Madrid, for whom he made 73 league appearances in total, scoring one goal and providing six assists.
Kovacic debuted in a Premier League fixture for Chelsea on August 18, 2018 as a substitute versus Arsenal aged 24 years and 104 days. Overall, in his Premier League career, he has appeared 142 times in the competition, with four goals and 13 assists.
