With Liverpool having reportedly agreed on a fee of just £16.6 million with Inter Milan to bring the 21-year-old to Anfield, it appears as if the Milanese club is simply about to throw away one of its gems in which it could build a team around for the next decade.
Following Steven Gerrard’s decision to depart Liverpool after serving the club for 17 years, Reds manager Brendan Rodgers claimed the 35-year-old will be replaced by quality. Quality is one word that finely sums up the talents of Croatian midfield maestro Mateo Kovacic.
The Austrian-born midfielder showcased his amazing abilities once more for Inter Milan in 2014-15. Whilst not having a brilliant season for the Nerazzurri, the midfield magician was one of the better performers in what was a below-par season for the club.
At times, Kovacic bossed the midfield and pulled the strings for Internazionale, linking up with teammates by utilising his incredible vision and range of passing. On other occasions, he simply looked out of touch and could not get into the game. This is to be expected, though, for one so young, and manager Roberto Mancini would still be satisfied with what he saw from the Croatian despite this.
Since arriving at the club in January 2013 from Dinamo Zagreb for a little under £11 million, Kovacic has proven himself an invaluable asset to the Nerazzurri midfield. His creativity, technique and class are second to none, and his contributions to the team are limitless, whether it is defending, setting up, or goalscoring.
As well as this, the playmaker signed a contract extension in January with Mancini’s side until 2019, with many key figures inside the club claiming the plan is to build a successful team around the likes of Kovacic and Mauro Icardi for years to come.
So why would Inter sell him to Liverpool after only two-and-a-half seasons with the club, and for such a nominal fee?
The situation sparks remembrance of a near transfer calamity in January 2014 when club talisman Fredy Guarin was on the verge of making the switch to Serie A rivals Juventus, with ageing Montenegrin striker Mirko Vucinic going the other way. The powers that be at Inter Milan seemingly came to their senses and called off that deal following a fan protest.
In regards to transfer howlers, the decision in which to sell Philippe Coutinho for just £8.5 million must also receive an honorary mention (Liverpool was again the obvious beneficiary here).
This is an extremely worrisome sign for supporters of the Nerazzurri, and if reports of the Croatian’s sale to Liverpool are valid then enquiries must be made over the sanity of those at the head of transfer negotiations at the club.
Despite not competing in Europe next season, Inter Milan still holds8 a commanding presence in the transfer market due to the club’s rich footballing history, and many a player in the not too distant past has claimed that wearing the colours of blue and black would be a dream come true. The fact that Serie A’s joint top scorer of 2014-15, Icardi, penned a contract extension very recently proves this. Also, a season without the Champions League or Europa League will, most likely, be a one-off as the club currently boasts a talented and balanced playing roster.
So it is not a situation where the player has outgrown the club, which again raises the question as to why Inter would even consider the sale of such a talented youngster.
Stats show that Kovacic was Inter Milan’s most effective player in Serie A this season, with a performance score of 1001, higher than any other Inter player this season including midfield workhorse Gary Medel and 22-goal striker Icardi.
The playmaker created an impressive 62 chances throughout the course of the 2014-15 Serie A campaign and completed 1608 passes with an accuracy of 87%, of which 66% were forward passes. As well as this, Kovacic boasts a very respectable average rate of duels won of 58% per 90 minutes. Altogether, these numbers are simply staggering and Liverpool fans will undoubtedly be licking their lips over the prospect of having Kovacic at their team’s disposal next season.
All of this establishes the midfield maestro’s indispensability to the team, and at 21 years of age it is difficult to see why Inter would allow him to leave so easily. Replacing Kovacic would prove a near impossible task as well, with not too many players of his calibre willing to ply their trade at a club that cannot offer European football in 2015-16. Even if the price tag is doubled, it is unlikely the club would find a suitable replacement.
The most appropriate course of action for those heading the transfer dealings at Inter would be to issue a hands off warning to anyone wishing to discuss the sale of the talented youngster. With so much ability at such a young age and an indescribable amount of potential still to be fulfilled, Inter already has a world class player in the making, one who it can build a title-winning team around in the future.
There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Nerazzurri, though they will not return to their former glories if they decide upon the sale of this midfield magician.
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