Mateo Kovacic has been a prominent figure in the Manchester City team so far this season.
With City having eight games played across all competitions so far this season, Kovacic has appeared in six of them, five of which he started.
Back in the 2023 summer transfer window, the Citizens paid £25m to bring the midfielder to the Etihad Stadium from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.
In his debut season at the Manchester club, the 30-year-old scored three goals and supplied one assist in 46 games across all competitions.
Having secured his first-ever Premier League trophy last season with Pep Guardiola’s side, the Croatian has now opened up about his feelings towards his previous club.
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Mateo Kovacic on his feelings for Chelsea after Man City move
Appearing in a recent video uploaded onto City’s official YouTube channel, Kovacic was asked about how it felt to score for City against Chelsea in their 2-0 win at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend.
He said: “Special, I think because Chelsea is a club that I really appreciate a lot and has given me a lot of confidence.
“I played there for five years so a club that will always be remembered by me. To play at Stamford Bridge is always nice, very happy that I can do it now in a City shirt and be part of this great squad.
“To score at Stamford Bridge is nice and a special moment for me.”
What Kovacic has said about winning the PL with City
Spending five years at Chelsea between 2018 and 2023, the Croatian made 221 appearances in total, bagging six goals, delivering 15 assists and winning four European titles along the way.
Having not done so with Chelsea, Kovacic recently said that winning his first Premier League title with City has been his standout moment since joining the club.
Now that the midfielder has said that he still has a lot of admiration for Chelsea and what they allowed him to do while he was there, this shows how much respect he has for the club despite going on to join City and do what he couldn’t do in five years at Chelsea in his debut season with Guardiola’s side.
Moving forward, if Kovacic can go on to play a key role in seeing City potentially win a fifth Premier League title in a row, this would further showcase how much of a clever signing he has been for the Blues and why Chelsea may have made a mistake in letting him go.
