Mateo Kovacic could yet leave Manchester City – but that might not be such a wise move.
Preparations continue for the 2026/27 season at the Etihad, with one signing having already been made in Elliot Anderson.
In recent days, City had their first outgoing, with Nathan Ake joining Fenerbahçe, which rather came out of nowhere.
The likes of Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic, Tijjani Reijnders and Rico Lewis are among the Man City players who could reportedly leave this summer 🤨
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But it’s expected that a few more will be on the way out in the coming weeks, and Mateo Kovacic is a player who is reportedly (The Athletic) likely to go.
The Croatian has been with the club for three years after transferring from Chelsea, and has just one year left on his contract.
But there is certainly an argument to say that City should be keeping him.
Man City should actually keep Mateo Kovacic
Of course, the signing of Anderson probably doesn’t help Kovacic in terms of him playing regularly.
But at this point, Kovacic is not someone who plays every game anyway.
But he is absolutely a player City should be retaining because when he comes in on games, there is very little drop-off in quality.
Kovacic is a dependable operator who can operate as either a six or an eight.
It is rare that midfielders have the ability to carry the ball through the lines, but also serve as someone who can just be a controller at the base of a midfield.
Kovacic does have this rare combination.
He is so neat and tidy on the ball – last term he recorded a pass completion rate of 91% in the Premier League (via Squawka).
In the two seasons before the latest one, Kovacic had accuracy of 93% and 94%.
Remarkably, for club and country since the 2011/12 season, Kovacic’s accuracy averages out at 91% (via WhoScored).
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Clearly, he is someone who is extremely reliable on the ball – and Maresca will obviously want his side to dominate possession, just like his predecessor did.
Kovacic has obviously had injury problems during his time at the club, which will be the main reason why a lot of fans would be happy to see him move on.
But by offloading Kovacic this summer, you remove yet another experienced head and established voice.
John Stones, Bernardo Silva and Nathan Ake had all gone already, and City need to be careful not to let that number rise too high.
There is also the notion of Anderson coming in and the pressure on him being immediate. Kovacic is actually someone who could really help the 23-year-old navigate his first season at the Etihad.
And then, there’s Erling Haaland.
Many times, we have seen City knock the ball from side to side, trying to break down a stubborn opposition.
As many goals as Haaland scores, there are occasions when he doesn’t get a sniff and most of the time, nobody tries to find him from deep, despite him making runs. Apart from Kovacic.
Kovacic is brilliant at breaking lines, and when he’s on the pitch, he is never afraid to try and thread a ball through to Haaland.
We will see what happens. But certainly, City have to give consideration to keeping a player who is genuinely so consistent when he plays.
Realistically, he won’t sell for that much this summer because of him having one year on his contract. So there is arguably greater worth in keeping him around for another season and then either letting him go for free, or perhaps handing him a one-year extension if he has performed well.
