Real Madrid: Mateo Kovacic inks permanent deal with Chelsea
By Ben Sundock
According to an accidental link by Chelsea’s team app, Mateo Kovacic will make his loan move from Real Madrid a permanent switch to the Blues in the next 24 hours when July begins. Here are the details.
After an up and down season with The Blues of London during the 2018/2019 season, Croatian Mateo Kovacic showed that he is a reliable holding midfielder, but can he become a star in the Premier League?
That is the question many Chelsea fans are asking themselves after news leaked that Kovacic will make his one-year loan move away from the Spanish capital a permanent one by this time tomorrow.
Lol, it's true. Chelsea app confirmed Kovacic before it was announced 😂 pic.twitter.com/duRw8R8ItJ
— KanteNation (@sethaadusei) June 29, 2019
Mateo Kovacic is coming back to Chelsea, confirmed: here we go! Total agreement reached and he’s going to sign soon 🔵✔️ #CFC #Chelsea #transfers #RealMadrid
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 29, 2019
Playing on the left or right side of Maurizio Sarri’s 4-3-3 midfield, Kovacic worked well with N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and at times Ross Barkley although his stats may not show it.
Despite making 51 appearances across four competitions, Mateo could not find the back of the net and ended the season with just two assists. Yes, he completed 92 percent of his passes in the Premier League, but those passes only led to 23 created chances and 33 in total across those four competitions.
While Mateo Kovacic is more of a midfield backbone, it is clear that he isn’t an offensive creator or threat moving forward like some of the players Zinedine Zidane already has on his squad. Take, for example, Dani Ceballos.
The promising Spanish player, while playing in fewer matches in league play than Kovacic, led the Croatian in every passing stat other than assists and passes per match. Ceballos did play fewer minutes in fewer matches, but the player rating and pass completion statistics are noteworthy.
If President Florentino Perez is indeed going to receive €50 million in compensation from Chelsea for the move, you have to be happy as a Real Madrid fan. This helps recoup some of that money the club has spent on all the transfers they have made this summer frees up spots for some younger midfielders on the bench.
Next. Three Real Madrid players who will not leave the club this summer. dark
For those who may be confused, Chelsea is allowed to sign Kovacic during its two window transfer ban because he was registered on the squad before the ban was levied by FIFA.
This looks like a win-win deal for both parties. Real Madrid recoup some money and Frank Lampard – the assumed to be new manager for Chelsea – gets a reliable young player who he has been impressed with.