Mateo Kovacic Archives ⋆ LSU

Jun112021 by JBNo Comments

‘Maybe he goes to Tottenham next!’ – Mourinho ‘very upset’ with Chelsea star

Premier League

Jose Mourinho has heaped praise on Mateo Kovacic ahead of his Euro 2020 meeting with England and says he is ‘very upset’ never to have managed the player despite their similar career paths. Since leaving Dinamo Zagreb in 2013, the Croatian has played for three teams all previously managed by Mourinho – Inter Milan, Real Madrid and Chelsea – but has never worked under the Portuguese manager. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Their paths have never quite crossed, with Kovacic moving to the teams a few years after Mourinho had departed, with the axed Spurs coach joking that the Chelsea star might end up at Tottenham next. ‘Kovacic I always feel he’s much better than what people think,’ said Mourinho on talkSPORT. ‘And I am very upset with him because he played...

Apr142021 by JBNo Comments

Tuchel confirms ‘very sad’ injury to Mateo Kovacic ahead of Man City clash

Premier League

Chelsea midfielder Mateo Kovacic is set for a spell on the sidelines after missing his side’s Champions League defeat Porto with a ‘very sad’ injury. The Croatian star was in training with his Chelsea team-mates on Monday evening but he pulled up during the session. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Tuchel already had huge doubts over N’Golo Kante’s fitness and did not want to risk the Frenchman against the Portuguese side. However, the former Leicester City midfielder was selected to start as Tuchel confirmed Kovacic sustained an injury in training, making him a doubt for this weekend’s FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City. ‘We had a light injury unfortunately in training yesterday which was very sad so Kova is out,’ said Tuchel. ‘The same with ...

Apr62021 by JBNo Comments

Mateo Kovacic blasts Pepe’s Chelsea claim ahead of Champions League clash

Premier League

Mateo Kovacic says there is no truth in Pepe’s ‘strange’ claims that Chelsea celebrated Porto draw in the Champions League and believes ‘it will not be easy’ for the club to reach the semi-finals. Chelsea overcame Atletico Madrid to book their place in the quarter-finals, while Porto pulled off a huge upset to knock Juventus out of the European competition. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Rumours began to circulate last month that Thomas Tuchel’s squad celebrated as the Portuguese champions were named as their opponents on March 19, with Porto legend Paulo Futre ‘disgusted’ to learn about their response. And Pepe, who was appointed Porto’s skipper last October, added more fuel to the fire as he weighed in on Chelsea’s reaction in the build-up to Wednesd...

Feb162021 by JBNo Comments

Tuchel reveals ‘super reliable’ Chelsea player has to be calmed down in training

Premier League

Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel says he ‘loves’ Mateo Kovacic and says the midfielder is ‘super reliable’. The blues made it four consecutive wins in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Monday. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Kovacic impressed in Chelsea’s midfield alongside Jorginho as goals from Olivier Giroud and Timo Werner were enough to seal the win for Tuchel’s side. And after the match, Tuchel heaped praises on Kovacic over his attitude and said it is a ‘pleasure’ to work with the Croatia international. ‘I love him, it’s very easy, I love him,’ Tuchel told Chelsea TV. ‘You can wake the guy up at 3am and he would be at Cobham [Chelsea’s training ground] at 3.15am and ready to give everything, ready to listen and ready to...

Mar42020 by JBNo Comments

Frank Lampard offers Willian and Kovacic injury updates

Premier League

Frank Lampard says Willian and Mateo Kovacic both suffered Achilles' injuries in Chelsea's 2-0 FA Cup victory over Liverpool on Tuesday night, after both players limped out of the match. Willian, who scored the first goal of the game after Adrian spilled his shot from range, went down off the ball less than five minutes when the second half started. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Kovacic had already gone off before the break. He appeared to be tripped slightly by Neco Williams, before his foot was stood on by Mane as the Liverpool pair attempted to get the ball from him. "Both have got an Achilles’ issue," Lampard confirmed after the match. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); "Willian hopefully is not too bad, that is wha...

Feb262020 by JBNo Comments

Lampard singles out one Chelsea star after Bayern Munich hammering

UEFA, Premier League

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard reserved praise for midfielder Mateo Kovacic after his team’s demoralising 3-0 defeat to Bayern Munich at Stamford Bridge. The Bundesliga giants all but sealed their place in the last-8 of the Champions League with a victory in London thanks to a double from Serge Gnabry and a late third from Lewandowski. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Chelsea were outclassed throughout the game and Marcos Alonso was sent off in the dying stages to top off a bad night for the Blues. Lampard warned his side afterwards that their defeat to Bayern was a ‘reality check’ but he did find time to single out Kovacic for his individual performance in the game. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ‘They need to understa...

Jun272019 by JBNo Comments

How Chelsea beat their transfer ban to sign Kovacic from Real Madrid

Premier League, La Liga, Transfer Info

Chelsea have beaten their Fifa transfer ban by just 72 hours to agree a £40million deal for the signing of Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid and hope to follow it with a new deal for Callum Hudson-Odoi. But Chelsea will not make a decision yet on Everton target Kurt Zouma or the futures Marcos Alonso and Davide Zappacosta, who are both open to moves away, until Frank Lampard has started work as manager. Kovacic spent last campaign on loan at Stamford Bridge and that deal was set to expire on Sunday, when the ban would have prevented the blues from keeping him. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); But Chelsea agreed a deal with Real Madrid to sign Kovacic on Wednesday, meaning they can sign the Croatia midfielder despite the two-window ban. Hudson-Odoi is als...

May172019 by JBNo Comments

Chelsea can sign Kovacic & Higuain for next season despite transfer ban

Premier League

Chelsea can still sign both Mateo Kovacic and Gonzalo Higuain despite the club's transfer ban but have only just started talks with the Croatia midfielder, according to reports. The Blues are confident that they have the ability to hold on to both loan stars without going against their FIFA-imposed embargo on signing new players, with football's governing body having rejecting the Premier League outfit's appeal to delay the ban. Chelsea have taken the next step in trying to overturn and put a stop to the sanction by appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and could hear back before the Europa League final with Arsenal. They have, however, seen the Premier League transfer window open on Thursday without being able to bring new players. Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarr...

Dec52018 by JBNo Comments

Chelsea open talks with Real Madrid over making Mateo Kovacic deal permanent

Premier League, La Liga, Transfer Info

Chelsea have opened talks with Real Madrid over a permanent transfer for Mateo Kovacic, according to recent reports. Croatia star Kovacic signed for Real Madrid in 2015 from Inter Milan but has struggled to establish himself as a starter at the club. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); He signed a season-long loan deal with the Blues in the summer and has impressed under Maurizio Sarri, playing 20 games in all competitions. Sarri is said to be interested in signing Kovacic on a permanent deal at Stamford Bridge and Chelsea have contacted Real Madrid to discuss a transfer, according to the Evening Standard. Kovacic conceded he wanted to leave La Liga giants Real in the summer to play more football and appears to be enjoying his role in west London. Spe...

Aug22018 by JBNo Comments

Kovacic turns down Manchester United move

Transfer Info, La Liga, Premier League

Mateo Kovacic has rejected the chance to join Manchester United after a £53m bid offer was reportedly submitted to Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho is keen on improving his squad ahead of the new campaign and is confident that United will sign at least one more player before the transfer window closes. Kovacic, meanwhile, has already expressed his desire to leave Madrid this summer after failing to get a regular first-team place at the Bernabeu. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); ‘When I don’t play of course I’m not happy. I’ve enjoyed these three years in Madrid hugely, with incredible teammates, winning trophies,’ the midfielder said last month. ‘But I haven’t been completely happy because my contribution to all of this has not been the biggest and it’s som...