Manchester City confirmed on Tuesday the signing for the next four seasons, until June 30, 2027, of Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, who ends his career at Chelsea, where he joined in 2018 from Real Madrid.
The international leaves the London club after playing 221 games in five seasons, winning the Champions League in 2021, precisely against the ‘Citizens’, the Europa League, the Club World Cup and the European Super Cup.
“This is a brilliant move for me, I can’t wait to start with City. Anyone who has seen this team with Pep Guardiola knows how good they are, to me, the best in the world. The trophies they have won are up there. seen by all, but it is also the best football team that exists,” Kovacic said on his new club’s website.
The Croatian confessed that playing for the current European champions “is truly a dream for any footballer” and that he still has “much to learn and develop”. “I know that under Pep’s guidance I can become a better player, which is very exciting for me,” he underlined.
For his part, Manchester City’s director of football, Aitor Begiristain, stressed that Kovacic “is an excellent footballer” and that he could fill the gap left by the German Ilkay Gündogan, who has gone to FC Barcelona. “He can play ‘6’ or ‘8’, he has a lot of experience in top-level clubs and understands the Premier League. It was a very easy decision to bring him to City because he has the tactical and technical qualities we look for in a midfielder,” admitted the executive.
“He is someone whom we have supervised for a long time and he always impressed us every time we saw him. I am delighted that he is here, he is a great signing for this club and I am very excited to see what he can do with Pep”, sentenced the Basque.
Kovacic’s departure is the third for Chelsea since the end of last season as French midfielder N’Golo Kanté and Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly headed for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ittihad and Al Hilal respectively.
2023-06-27 17:48:58
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