One of the beneficiaries of the Chelsea clear-out is Manchester City. Pep Guardiola wasted no time in making a move for Chelsea midfielder Matteo Kovacic the moment he became available. It worked well, coming just when Ilkay Gundogan had packed his bags to head to Barcelona. While Kovacic was not a flop at Chelsea, there just comes a time one has to find their purpose. After a tough season at Chelsea, it was clear his time to leave had come, and what a move he made.
Joining the league and European champions is definitely a big break, especially in the context of the season Chelsea had in 2022/23. Kovacic is a top Pep-like player and is assured of a starting berth at Manchester City and he will go in straight as a replacement for Gundogan, who also ran his race under Guardiola at City. Though Pep has used a number of youngsters at his teams over the years, he really doesn’t hold a glittering record in developing young players. His moves for established players is clear and perhaps one of the reasons Kovacic has a big chance of succeeding at City.
At his prime: Kovacic is a top Pep-like player
At 29 years, Kovacic is definitely at his prime and City duly paid a figure of £25m, which will eventually rise to £30m when the add-ons are factored. This is a decent fee for Chelsea, who are restructuring, but more importantly, a good catch for Manchester City, who will not mind making the best use of the Croatian’s experience in the next four years.
Kovacic is at his prime and there is no assurance he will make a bigger move. For a player who has played at Real Madrid Inter Milan and Chelsea, winning some of the biggest trophies, this is a player Guardiola will definitely do with. It is not just a straight but one that keeps City at the top as they’ve always been and you can bet on the club to continue enjoying rave reviews on cheekypunter.com in the coming season.
Shrewd signing: Kovacic is a top Pep-like player
Former Manchester United defender and skipper Rio Ferdinand acknowledged this is a shrewd signing for Manchester City, listing of course his experience, the price paid and the fact that he should fit in straight away making Kovacic is a top Pep-like player. It now gets clear why Manchester City made a halfhearted attempt to sign Declan Rice from West Ham United. While in Rice they would have had a younger player by five years, the London side had priced their skipper three times what City had to part with to get Kovacic.
Kovacic is a top Pep-like player as the Croatian midfielder doesn’t score a lot but for a defensive minded midfielder, he has a good goal contribution ratio. He has the knack for important goals at the big stage and has the eye for a top assist, as seen in his days at Chelsea. Kovacic is not a journeyman, and if he gets the right conditions, City will be sure of quality service for the next four years. In his career, he has played for four clubs at the top level – Dinamo Zagreb, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea – in each of them he spent at least three seasons. City will do with this stability. Kovacic is a top Pep-like player.
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