Mateo Kovacic is officially a new Manchester City player. The statement has already arrived so that the Croatian becomes a luxury reinforcement for the midfield of Pep Guardiola’s team, the current champion of the Champions League and the Premier.
Kovacic signs for five seasons with Manchester City in a transfer that, according to unofficial sources, it is around 30 million pounds between base figure and bonus for objectives. Sign until 2027.
“This is a brilliant move for me, and I can’t wait to get started with City.” Kovacic said on the City website. “Anyone who has seen this team with Pep knows how good they are, for me, they are the best in the world. The trophies it has won are for all to see, but it is also the best football team there is. Joining this team is really a dream for any footballer”, he finishes.
Joining this team is truly a dream for any footballer.
hours after Gundogan’s departure to Barcelona, City have reacted to Kovacic’s announcement. The Croatian international continues to complete a top-level career: Dinamo Zagreb, Inter, Real Madrid, Chelsea… and now City. He arrives in the north of England after five seasons in London.
Kovacic, during the Final Four of the Nations against Spain.
The change in Kovacic’s game
Born in Austria (in Linz) but with Balkan origins and almost 100 official matches with Croatia, At 29, Mateo Kovacic is a much more mature and complete footballer than when he arrived at Bernabu. from Inter. It has grown… and changed.
As OPTA analyzes, Kovacic excels at ball retention and counter-punching. He has an astonishing ability to drive the ball out and is a privileged dribble. It is very difficult to take the ball away from him and he easily overcomes rival pressure lines.
Kovacic’s evolution, however, has moved him away from the area… while it has brought Gundogan closer. In a more complicated context like that of Chelsea, it is true, but it generates less offensive production than that provided by the new Barcelona footballer. As the seasons go by, Kovacic became a footballer who risked less and kept the position more when his team turned to attack.
It is evident that it is a different profile from Gundogan… but it seems that Mateo will not be a direct replacement for the German, far from it. The City market does not end with Kovacic.
“He’s someone we’ve monitored for a long time and he always impressed us every time we saw him”declared Txiki Begiristain from the club.
