On paper, Manchester City’s first summer acquisition might not seem like much, but Pep Guardiola might just need this player as they start their treble defense.
Mateo Kovacic’s four-year, £25 million transfer from Chelsea was officially announced by the team on Tuesday.
His arrival goes against what Guardiola often seeks for in a player, since he prefers to buy young, gifted players and develop them into world-class, accomplished winners.
Given that Kovacic is now 29 years old and is the oldest outfield player Guardiola has signed since Nolito during his first summer with the club in 2016, the decision to sign him seems a little weird.
The seasoned midfielder has long been a favourite of Guardiola’s, but it will be a difficult task for him to transform a player who impressed during periods at Chelsea into the reliable force he wants to see in his teams.
Kovacic was first noticed by City in 2018 while he was still playing for Real Madrid, but the Croatian eventually joined Chelsea on an initial loan that became permanent the following year.
Many will view his emergence five years later as Ilkay Gundogan’s like-for-like successor after the German left for Barcelona on a free transfer.
Gundogan was present for the momentous event, and his significance to Man City cannot be overstated. His two goals in their 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa enabled them to defeat Liverpool and win the title in 2021–2022.
Then, during the most recent season, he significantly contributed to the treble victory by scoring both goals against Manchester United in the FA Cup final.
New No. 8 for City Kovacic and Gundogan definitely share some characteristics, but their offensive prowess is not one of them.
In 304 games for City, the German scored 60 goals and reached double figures three times in a row. He also led the team in scoring with 17 goals in the 2020–21 season.
Kovacic scored just six goals in 221 appearances for Chelsea, and he hasn’t surpassed two goals in a season since he scored eight for Inter Milan in 2014–15.
Guardiola won’t be concerned, though, because the England international Phil Foden is predicted to play more centrally in the upcoming campaign, so he should be able to continue where Gundogan left off in terms of goal production.
Guardiola recruited Kovacic because he believes the Croatian can play anywhere in his midfield and because of his ability to squirm out of sticky situations, even when the opponent is exerting the most intense pressure on him.
He’s on par with the top players in the Premier League at his position in terms of his ability to spin away and slalom through many opponents. This might be immensely helpful in dealing with the opposition’s press and quickly switching from defence to attack.
Kovacic will play a similar role to Gundogan in that he will drop deeper in midfield to aid City in playing out from the back while also having the ability to move forward and assist their attacking players, particularly creative mastermind Kevin De Bruyne.
He is a perfect match for Guardiola’s team since he is superb in possession and has confidence in his ability to keep the ball in any circumstance and in any region of the pitch.
Fans of Man City will be concerned about his availability and consistency, in particular.
When at his best, Kovacic shown that he is one of the league’s top midfielders, winning Chelsea’s Player of the Year award in 2019–20 and contributing to the club’s success in the Europa and Champions Leagues.
When it worked, his connection with Jorginho was fantastic, albeit towards the latter of Thomas Tuchel’s tenure and up to the Italian’s January transfer to Arsenal, it appeared to be less effective.
Kovacic overall had a disappointing 2022-23 season with just 17 Premier League starts to his name as Chelsea floundered to a 12th place finish.
When he did play, he played much below the level at which he has previously shown he can produce in the Premier League.
His injury history is also a concern; in his five seasons at Stamford Bridge, he never made more than 23 Premier League starts, and he has missed several significant matches, including the Champions League semifinals and final when Chelsea won the cup in 2021.
Even at his best, Kovacic never appeared to garner the praise of Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, who both came close to winning the Ballon d’Or in 2021.
But once the Croatian left Man City for Chelsea, Raheem Sterling’s remarks about him were telling.
He responded, “Kovacic to be fair,” when asked who he was most looking forward to working with at Chelsea. I won’t lie: I used to think “Oh my good gosh” when we used to play him for City.
When I was a student at City, there were a few occasions when he engaged in major misconduct against us.
Kovacic claimed the move was “brilliant” for him and that he believed Guardiola could bring out the best in him when it was confirmed that he was moving to City.
Anyone who has followed this squad under Pep knows how talented they are; in my opinion, they are the finest in the entire world, he remarked. They are the best footballing team in the world, as evidenced by the trophies they have amassed.
Any football player would consider it a dream to be a part of this team. I still have a lot of growing and learning to do, but I’m confident that, under Pep’s guidance, I can improve as a player, which excites me much.
“My current strategy is to take a few weeks off to recover before returning to Manchester to get ready for the upcoming season.” I want to contribute to this team’s continued dominance and trophy success.
Given Kovacic’s age and his difficulties last season, it could seem strange for City to choose him as a new player after their Treble victory.
He does, however, have a tonne of Premier League experience, and he might be the solid, intelligent, and disappointing player City needs to defend their treble.
Even if he doesn’t play every single week as Gundogan did, if anyone can convince him to perform consistently, it will be Guardiola.