Chelsea: Mateo Kovacic is a shrewd signing that becomes complicated

Chelsea is right to sign Mateo Kovacic while they still can. It is a shrewd signing that makes short term sense but is complicated in the long term.

Mateo Kovacic joined Chelsea on loan last season mainly as sugar to help the medicine go down. Thibaut Courtois had just gone AWOL to force a move and Eden Hazard was stuck deciding which summer to leave. Kovacic was loaned in to make the Courtois deal easier but also to help grease the wheel for Hazard’s eventual transfer.

Now with a transfer ban, Chelsea can only truly buy two players this summer: Gonzalo Higuain and Kovacic. The former would be as horrendous of a signing as it always was going to be when he came in on loan. The latter would be a shrewd signing for the short term that becomes complicated in the long term.

And with time running out, all signs point towards Kovacic extending his Chelsea stay permanently. Most fans were okay with him staying if the price was right and at £40 million, it just about is.

With Ruben Loftus-Cheek injured and the team unable to buy, Chelsea did need Kovacic to fill in numbers wise. The midfield is expected to include Tiemoue Bakayoko, Mason Mount, Jorginho, Ross Barkley, N’Golo Kante and perhaps Ethan Ampadu as well. Assuming Chelsea plays with some type of midfield three, that gives the Blues at least two players for each spot until Loftus-Cheek is fit again.

So in the short term, Kovacic is needed. He is automatically the most versatile midfielder available to the Blues. He may not score or assist, but he can link the defensive side of the team to the offensive side better than almost anyone else. He would excel in a pivot next to Kante or Bakayoko and he could play anywhere in a standard midfield three if need be.

At first, only Ampadu will really need to worry about his minutes being taken. But he may land as a center back long term and it may not matter. But in the long term, someone will need to make way.

Loftus-Cheek will return no earlier than January. Excluding Ampadu, that would leave Chelsea with seven midfielders for three spots. While that is a good problem to have, it is a hard one to justify and at least one of those players will be earmarked for an exit (either permanently or on loan)

Kante, Bakayoko, Jorginho, and Kovacic all pair off well with one another in any midfield shape. It is the most attacking midfield spot that will face a traffic jam with Loftus-Cheek, Barkley, and Mount all vying for a similar role.

So long as Loftus-Cheek is out, the depth is simple. If Kovacic’s transfer does not happen, one of those players can be shifted elsewhere to maintain three midfielders in reserve. But since Kovacic is likely to arrive, once Loftus-Cheek returns someone will become odd man out between Loftus-Cheek, Barkley, and Mount.

Unless Loftus-Cheek is a true shadow of himself or does not return in the 2019/2020 season, the battle will be between Mount and Barkley. If Mount can bring his form from other league’s into the Premier League, then it will be time to cash in on Mount. If not, the young Englishman may spend the second half of the season elsewhere.

Kovacic is a signing that makes sense, not only because he is quite literally the only midfielder available but because he can add a solid option to Chelsea’s squad. It is further down the line that his signing will cause headaches but only in an indirect way.

Kovacic’s arrival means Mount and Barkley have roughly six months to out do one another. Bakayoko will also need to prove himself because he could just as easily be earmarked to make room. Kovacic is needed, but it puts a target on the back of some who need to show why they should stay when Loftus-Cheek is fully fit again.