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Luka Modric Admits He Was Gutted When Chelsea Signed Mateo Kovacic
One of the biggest “what if” moments in modern Chelsea history remains the club’s missed opportunity to sign Luka Modric at the peak of his powers.
Chelsea were strongly linked with Modric around the time he left Tottenham for Real Madrid, in a move that would have perfectly coincided with Frank Lampard’s playing time at Stamford Bridge beginning to wind down. Instead, the Croatian went on to enjoy legendary success in Spain.
Years later, Chelsea finally brought in a Croatian midfielder of their own when Mateo Kovacic arrived from Real Madrid in 2018. While Kovacic struggled for regular minutes in Madrid, he would go on to become a reliable and important player for the Blues over several seasons.
Interestingly, Modric has now admitted he was disappointed to see Kovacic leave Madrid for Chelsea, believing the club were losing an outstanding midfielder. Speaking to Neuspjeh Prvaka, Modric explained just how highly he rated his international teammate.
“Mateo wanted to play. He wanted to be on the pitch constantly,” Modric said. “In that period at Real, in my opinion, he was one of the best players. Even if he wasn’t always the main protagonist, he played outstanding matches and was very important.”
Modric went on to explain that while Kovacic wanted to have the same constant influence as players like himself, Toni Kroos and Casemiro, he still delivered phenomenal performances whenever called upon.
“It was hard for me when he left because Mateo is truly special to me,” Modric added. “From the moment he joined the national team, we had a special connection. At Real, that bond only grew stronger, and you really miss players like that when they leave.”
Chelsea eventually moved on from Kovacic in the summer of 2023 as Todd Boehly and the club’s ownership began reshaping the squad to match their long-term vision. The midfield has since been rebuilt around Enzo Fernández, Moisés Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, players Chelsea hope will define the next era at Stamford Bridge.
Kovacic, however, has continued to show his quality since leaving west London. Now at Manchester City, he reminded Chelsea fans of his ability by scoring a stunning long-range goal against the Blues in Enzo Maresca’s first game in charge, a 2-0 defeat at the Etihad.
It was another reminder that while Chelsea may have missed out on Modric, they still enjoyed years of quality from one of Croatia’s finest midfielders — a player even Modric himself hated to see leave Madrid.
Also read; Chelsea Face Manager Uncertainty as Enzo Maresca Linked With Manchester City Move
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