Mateo Kovacic Embraces Role Amid Manchester City's Midfield Changes
Mateo Kovacic doesn’t sound like a man worried about his place in the pecking order. Not even after Manchester City dropped £116 million on a 23-year-old midfielder who has just played every single Premier League game of a season.
He sounds excited.
Anderson the statement signing
Anderson’s arrival from Nottingham Forest is more than a lavish flex from the champions. It is a clear marker of where City want to go under Enzo Maresca: younger legs, relentless energy, and a midfield that can keep evolving without losing control.
Kovacic has seen enough already to buy in.
“I think a lot of quality, a lot of physicality because he has shown that he is capable of running a lot, being good on the ball, being good off the ball,” the Croatian said, outlining the raw materials City believe they can refine. “He is young, so he can improve a lot still at City, and I think it's a great signing for us.”
This is not just praise for a new teammate. It is a veteran midfielder recognising the profile City crave: power, technique, and the stamina to live inside Maresca’s demanding structure.
Life without Rodri – at least for now
The real intrigue comes in the short term. Rodri, the metronome and safety net of this City side, is out as he recovers from back surgery. He is not expected to feature in the opening weeks, and that changes everything in the middle of the pitch.
There is also the noise around him. Rodri has been linked with a summer move to Real Madrid, a subplot City can do without as they try to reset under a new coach.
Into that uncertainty steps Kovacic.
He got 45 minutes under his belt in a recent friendly against Inter, a gentle reminder that he remains a high-level option when fit. Maresca has already hinted that experience will be his anchor while Rodri is sidelined, and Kovacic knows exactly what that means.
“I've played together with Rodri and without him as well,” he said. “So with him not being here now I can of course fill that spot, but let's see when he comes back.”
No fuss. No grand declarations. Just a player who understands the role and the responsibility that comes with it.
Premier League, and a midfield arms race
Listen to Kovacic long enough and one theme keeps returning: the standard of the league. For him, the Premier League is not just the biggest stage. It is the most unforgiving.
He sees the money pouring into the centre of the pitch across England and reads it as confirmation, not excess.
“I think it is the best league and the best players are here,” he insisted. “There are some amazing midfielders. Newcastle's Bruno [Guimaraes], Aston Villa have many good midfielders. United are now bringing midfielders. So I think every club has some great midfielders.”
It is a midfield arms race, and City have just spent nine figures to stay ahead. Anderson joins a division where every top side stacks its engine room with power and guile. For Kovacic, that is the appeal: measuring himself every week against the deepest pool of talent in the game.
Future questions, present conviction
If Anderson’s fee and Rodri’s absence shape the tactical conversation, another storyline hums in the background: Kovacic’s own future.
He is 32. He is entering the final year of his contract. Juventus and Inter Milan have both been linked with him. On paper, it is the classic setup for a summer of doubt.
The reality, he insists, is different.
Last season was a grind. Persistent Achilles and ankle issues restricted him to just nine appearances, a frustrating return for a player who built his career on rhythm and repetition. That kind of year can quickly sour relationships at the top level.
Yet Kovacic is adamant the club’s message has been clear.
“I didn't feel the question marks from them. I spoke with them, it was that they count on me, which was important for me to hear that from them,” he said.
No contract extension yet. No public declarations from the hierarchy. But from his side, there is no sense of a farewell tour. He talks like a man who expects to be central to Maresca’s plans, not a stopgap on the way out.
And so City move into a new season with a rebuilt midfield picture: a record signing in Anderson, their midfield anchor Rodri recovering and surrounded by speculation, and Kovacic standing in the middle of it all, ready to prove he still belongs at the heart of the champions’ next iteration.
The money has been spent. The faith has been stated. Now it is down to Kovacic to turn those conversations behind closed doors into performances that keep him right where he wants to be – dictating games, not reading rumours.
