Mateo Kovacic joins Manchester City for £30m: Decoding his stats
Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic has joined Premier League champions Manchester City in a £30m move. As per BBC, the fee is understood to be worth an initial £25m guaranteed plus £5m in performance-related add-ons. Kovacic has signed a deal until 2027. The Croatian comes in as a replacement for IIkay Gunndogan, who left the club for FC Barcelona. Here we decode the stats.
Kovacic made 221 appearances for Chelsea
Kovacic spent five seasons at Chelsea. He joined the Blues initially on loan in 2018 before the club made the deal permanent. He made 221 appearances for Chelsea and scored six goals in all competitions. He also provided 15 assists. In the Premier League, Kovacic made 142 appearances, scoring four times and making 13 assists.
Breaking down Kovacic's numbers in the Premier League 2022-23 season
Kovacic made 27 appearances for Chelsea in the Premier League 2022-23 season, scoring one goal and making two assists. As per Opta, he had 12 shots (excluding blocks), marking two shots on target. He created 23 chances and had a pass accuracy of 86.02%. Kovacic made 36 tackles, contested 167 duels, completed 22 take-ons, and won 70 ground duels. He also made 19 interceptions.
A look at Kovacic club career stats
Kovacic started his career with Dinamo Zagreb, scoring eight goals in 73 games. He moved to Inter next, making 97 appearances and scoring 8 times (assists: 9). For Real Madrid, he scored three goals and made seven assists in 109 appearances.
Kovacic has won plenty of silverware
Kovacic won two league honors and two cup competitions with Zagreb at the start of his career. With Real, he won La Liga in 2016-17, besides lifting three UEFA Champions League titles, two UEFA Super Cups, two FIFA Club World Cups, and one Spanish Super Cup. With Chelsea, Kovacic lifted the Champions League, Europa League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup.
This is a brilliant move for me, says Kovacic
"This is a brilliant move for me, and I cannot wait to get started with City," he said. "Anyone who has watched this team under Pep knows how good they are - for me, they are the best in the world. The trophies they have won are clear for all to see, but they are also the best footballing side out there," he added.
