Mateo Kovacic

[zes]

If we did sign him, that leave us with way too many CMs.

Jorginho, Fabregas, Kante, Barkley, Kovavic, Bakayoko, Drinkwater, Loftus-Cheek

at least 2 of those would have to go. Hopefully Bakayoko and Drinkwater.

Both will be gone. 

Sad for Barkley though. Will play 2nd fiddle to Kovacic for the AM role. Ruben I have no idea what will happen to him. Fabregas will be a bench player. 

 

[ForeverCarefree]

I reckon Drinkwater stays, said a lot that he made the bench out of those 3 on Sunday, and even came on.

So who do you think goes?

RLC and Bakayoko?

I could see a club taking RLC on loan for the season but who's going to go anywhere near Bakayoko, he's looking a busted flush.

There was a rumour that Seville were interested in taking him on loan but that's all gone quite. 

I agree that it was interesting that Drinkwater made the bench over others at the weekend though, could be that Sarri sees him as able to cover for Kante or Jorginho and his versatility is counting in his favour whereas RLC probably only covers the attacking midfield option that Bakley and Fabregas might be competing for?

 

[strider6004]

Assuming this is true I would expect RLC to go back to Palace and Bakayoko to go on loan abroad.

 

[dan_cfc]

1/10 to join now, hopefully this goes through Kante Jorginho Kovacic would be a great midfield.

 

[Blueblur]

Assuming this is true I would expect RLC to go back to Palace and Bakayoko to go on loan abroad.

Agreed, RLC 100% going back to Palace. He only wants to stay if he plays, and if we get Kovacic on loan there simply won't be that opportunity there for him. 

Bakayoko, as sh*te as he is, will stay. Because this is what we do

 

[Scott Harris]

Got to wonder who out of RLC, Drinkwater and Bakayoko is going to leave to make room for this one? 

Surely we need to let two players go out of the midfield options because we're looking pretty stacked there as it is. 

Can we afford to allow Drinkwater and RLC go, what does that mean for our homegrown contingent? Even if we were to sign Butland as our new goalkeeper? 

It's not really home grown players we need to worry about, it's the non homegrown players. We don't actually need 8 home grown players, but we can't have any more than 17 non homegrown players. If we wanted to, we could fill up the other 8 spots with players under the age of 21.

Green, Cahill, Fabregas, Moses, Drinkwater, Loftus-Cheek, Barkley and Christensen are our 8 home grown players at the moment, with Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi taking two under 21 spots. We are fine with our home grown spots even if we ditch Drinkwater.

 

[strider6004]

Kovacic, haven't heard of him till now, what are his strengths and weaknesses?

 

[ForeverCarefree]

It's not really home grown players we need to worry about, it's the non homegrown players. We don't actually need 8 home grown players, but we can't have any more than 17 non homegrown players. If we wanted to, we could fill up the other 8 spots with players under the age of 21.

Green, Cahill, Fabregas, Moses, Drinkwater, Loftus-Cheek, Barkley and Christensen are our 8 home grown players at the moment, with Ampadu and Hudson-Odoi taking two under 21 spots. We are fine with our home grown spots even if we ditch Drinkwater.

Either way, we need to move someone on don't we? Who do you reckon it will be?

Bringing in another midfielder surely means that Bakayoko is more than surplus to requirements and it would make sense for all involved for him to move on but it's just a question of whether there are any takers. 

Will be interesting to see which of the midfielders get a run out this evening, you would think if we're looking to sell or loan any of them they wouldn't get many minutes because you wouldn't want to risk an injury. 

 

[enigma]

So we take him on loan, he improves under Sarri and gets regular playing time, then goes back to Real Madrid and takes a first team spot. Not sure it's ideal unless we are promised a loan with option to buy. At the moment I've read there's no option to buy after the loan. 

 

[Scott Harris]

Either way, we need to move someone on don't we? Who do you reckon it will be?

Bringing in another midfielder surely means that Bakayoko is more than surplus to requirements and it would make sense for all involved for him to move on but it's just a question of whether there are any takers. 

Will be interesting to see which of the midfielders get a run out this evening, you would think if we're looking to sell or loan any of them they wouldn't get many minutes because you wouldn't want to risk an injury. 

If Kovacic does come in, then it's very likely somebody will go. Drinkwater or Bakayoko will be the obvious ones i would think, i hope it's not Loftus-Cheek. We already know what we are going to get out of Drinkwater and Bakayoko, a whole load of nothing. Loftus-Cheek is unknown and i would rather we gave him a chance at least. 

It's looking like it all comes to down to if Courtois stays of goes. If he goes, then i can see Drinkwater leaving, if he stays then Bakayoko will need to go so we can free up space for Kovacic.

 

[Total-Football]

Amazing signing if true. Gives us the second best midfield in the league behind Man City.

 

[big blue]

wow. 

hope this goes through as long as there is reasonable buyout clause.

Not too worried about the non homegrown quota, Courtois will leave, hopefully so will bakayoko, and I can't see all 3 of morata, giroud, and Batshuayi staying either. 

 

[Total-Football]

Kovacic, haven't heard of him till now, what are his strengths and weaknesses?

Box to box attacking midfielder. Got pretty much everything in his locker. Really good offensive player who is a great dribbler. 

 

[enigma]

Amazing signing if true. Gives us the second best midfield in the league behind Man City.

Certainly don't believe that. If he was that good, Real Madrid wouldn't have him sat on the bench and would integrate him somewhere in the first team. I haven't seen nowhere near enough of him tbh, but I read he's a good player. Just how good is anybody's guess. 

 

[ForeverCarefree]

Certainly don't believe that. If he was that good, Real Madrid wouldn't have him sat on the bench

In all fairness he does have Luka Modric (probably one of the top 5 midfielders in the world) and Toni Kroos ahead of him, not many players getting minutes ahead of those two. 

 

[zes]

Option to buy? pleease

 

[ducavis]

Certainly don't believe that. If he was that good, Real Madrid wouldn't have him sat on the bench and would integrate him somewhere in the first team. I haven't seen nowhere near enough of him tbh, but I read he's a good player. Just how good is anybody's guess. 

James Rodriquez was sent on loan, Robben & Sneijder sold. There are more hits than misses on Madrid’s bench.

 

[JMaher94]

Who's going to score the goals though? We need more goals in that midfield and none of these 3 will supply many goals, they have 11 between them in the last 3 season's. None of them assist many goals either. It would be fine if we had winger's and striker's that can score often, but at the moment only 1 winger seem's capable of doing that for us.

Kovacic used to play #10 for Inter in 2015 and scored a few from there.

He would be a brilliant signing/loan deal. 

Add Zaha/Fekir/Martial to the mix and we’ve actually had a very good window.

 

[abramovich]

Would be a very exciting signing, if true and exactly the kind of a player we're missing in our midfield.

 

[mwblue10]

In all fairness he does have Luka Modric (probably one of the top 5 midfielders in the world) and Toni Kroos ahead of him, not many players getting minutes ahead of those two. 

And with Casemiro holding the DM spot, there really was no reason to rotate and play Modric or Kroos more defensively.  I believe Isco would fill in as an attacking midfielder last season, as well, wouldnt he?  So that’s already 4 players for 3 spots, without even counting Kovacic.  Understandable that he didn’t see the pitch.