A change in management in a football club provides players with a clean slate or a new opportunity to make amends. One such player is Luka Jovic of Real Madrid. The Serbian has received somewhat of a lifeline following the reappointment of Carlo Ancelotti.
Jovic endured a difficult adaptation period during his one and a half seasons at the Spanish capital. He clearly did not have Zinedine Zidane’s confidence despite being a signing that the Frenchman himself demanded. Ironic, isn’t it?
Nonetheless, it’s a brand new challenge for Jovic now to impress Carlo Ancelotti. He’s already been training under the former Everton manager and is expected to probably start or get sufficient minutes in the upcoming friendly games.
It seems like the 23-year-old has some scope at securing his future at Madrid this season. I’ve come up with three reasons why Luka Jovic will continue at Madrid for the 2021-22 season.
JOVIC WANTS TO PROVE HIS WORTH AT REAL MADRID
Luka Jovic is a man on a mission with a point to prove at Real Madrid. He is the club’s most expensive striker after being signed for 60 million euros in the summer of 2019 from Eintracht Frankfurt.
According to Mario Cortegana, Jovic wants to continue at Real Madrid with the aim of impressing Carlo Ancelotti. The Serbian did not receive much continuity under Zinedine Zidane but he hopes to turn a new page under the Italian’s guidance.
Despite the limited action Jovic received under Zizou, we’ve all witnessed what he can do. His build-up play is phenomenal, he’s pretty good at dribbling too and score using either foot with ease. He’s a complete forward, all in all, and hopefully, Ancelotti has him in his plans. The key factor would be to impress the former Everton boss during the pre-season training and in the friendly games.
HIS ONLY OPTION TO LEAVE LOOKS DUSTED
A week ago, I had written an article on why AC Milan might just be Luka Jovic’s only realistic shot at leaving Real Madrid for a top tier club. However, Jovic’s potential move to the San Siro is no longer a possibility following AC Milan’s deal with Chelsea.
Fabrizio Romano tweeted his famous “Here we go” after AC Milan reached an agreement with Chelsea over the sale of Olivier Giroud. The French striker has always been Rossoneri’s top priority and now they’re just a step away from making their dream into a reality. Well, with Giroud set to sign for Milan, Jovic no longer has a worthy suitor.
AC Milan have reached an agreement with Chelsea to sign Olivier Giroud, here-we-go soon! €1m as guaranteed fee, €1m as add on. Giroud will sign until June 2023 once all details will be fixed. 🇫🇷 #ACMilan
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 8, 2021
Giroud is expected to fly to Milano next week. #CFC @DiMarzio
The only other possible option is a permanent return to Eintracht Frankfurt. The Eagles were more than happy to welcome Jovic on a six-month loan since Los Blancos paid 50% of his wages. However, if Jovic is to be sold permanently, the Bundesliga side simply cannot afford his expensive wages and Jovic would have to take a massive pay cut. Well, again, that’s not happening because he wants to stay and prove his worth.
CARLO ANCELOTTI NEEDS LUKA JOVIC AT REAL MADRID
Carlo Ancelotti was quick to address the attacking woes during his first press conference after being reappointed. The Italian manager highlighted the attacking issues and stated that he wants to build a system that will flourish at the club.
As we all know, Ancelotti deployed the 4-4-2 a lot during his first tenure but this time around he’s got a very different squad. However, if he does go for the 4-4-2 formation, Karim Benzema and Luka Jovic could pair up once again. We have not seen the two play together often but they both share similar traits such as dropping deep and helping in building up the play.
Ancelotti will also require Jovic’s services due to the versatility he offers. He primarily operates well with a strike partner. But he can excel as a lone striker as well if he’s paired up with creative wingers like Eden Hazard, Rodrygo or Gareth Bale.
Jovic offers a lot of avenues to help build an attack- his build-up play is commendable, he’s got a solid physical presence to hold up play, his vision is fantastic ( we’ve seen his slick one-two passes and flicks), he can score from either foot and is quite good in the air as well.
He’s a complete package and is a striker that Ancelotti could well and truly develop to help solve the attacking woes.