Mateo Kovacic on Anderson's Impact at Manchester City

Mateo Kovacic leans back, smiles, and doesn’t bother hiding it. Manchester City’s midfield has just added a £116 million jolt of energy, and he knows exactly what that means.

Not a reshuffle. A statement.

Anderson’s arrival, and a message from the champions

At 23, Anderson comes in from Nottingham Forest on the back of a season that would have caught every elite club’s eye: 38 Premier League games, every single one of them, in a side that often had to suffer without the ball. City saw more than just numbers. They saw a profile.

Kovacic saw it too.

“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 says. Simple, clear, and exactly what City demand in that engine room. “He is young, so he can improve a lot still at City, and I think it's a great signing for us.”

For a club that has just scaled the mountain again, this is not maintenance work. This is evolution under Enzo Maresca, and Anderson is right at the heart of it.

Life without Rodri – and a vacancy in the middle

There is, however, a problem to solve before Anderson settles in: Rodri’s absence.

The Spaniard, the metronome and safety net of City’s recent dominance, is recovering from back surgery and is unlikely to feature in the opening weeks of the new campaign. His absence doesn’t just remove a player; it rips out the reference point of City’s structure. Every build-up pattern, every press resistance, has usually started with No. 16.

On top of that, Rodri’s name keeps circling in the summer air, linked with a possible move to Real Madrid. Nothing concrete yet, but enough to keep the conversation alive.

Into that uncertainty steps Kovacic.

He played 45 minutes in a recent friendly against Inter, a gentle reminder that he is still here, still available, still sharp enough to shoulder responsibility. Maresca has made it clear he will lean on the old guard to guide City through this early stretch.

“I've played together with Rodri and without him as well,” Kovacic explains. “So with him not being here now I can of course fill that spot, but let's see when he comes back.”

No big declarations. Just a quiet confidence that he can anchor, link, and lead if called upon.

The Premier League’s midfield arms race

Kovacic has played in Spain, in Italy, and now in England. He has seen dressing rooms full of world-class players. Yet he doesn’t hesitate when asked where the game’s current centre of gravity lies.

He believes the Premier League is the peak.

“I think it is the best league and the best players are here,” he says. And he has the evidence at his feet every weekend. The money spent on midfielders alone tells its own story, but the names drive it home.

“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 not just flattery. For someone like Kovacic, the relentless quality is both threat and fuel. Every game is a test. Every week, another duel in tight spaces, another opponent who can outrun, outthink, or outmuscle you if you switch off.

For a 32-year-old with a history of injuries, it would be easy to look for a slower pace elsewhere. He isn’t interested.

Speculation, scars, and a point to prove

Last season hurt him. Literally and figuratively.

Persistent Achilles and ankle problems limited him to just nine appearances in the league, a frustrating return for a player who built his reputation on availability, rhythm, and constant movement between the lines. As City surged, he mostly watched.

That kind of season always invites questions. Juventus circled. Inter Milan, his former club, were mentioned again. The final year of his contract loomed into view. On the outside, it started to look like a familiar story: big club, ageing midfielder, injuries, exit.

Inside the club, he insists, the message was very different.

“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 says.

No renewal yet, but no sense of being pushed out either. Just a clear challenge: stay fit, compete, contribute.

And with Rodri sidelined, Anderson bedding in, and Maresca reshaping the side, the opportunity is obvious. Kovacic can do more than just survive this transition. He can shape it.

City’s midfield is changing. The money, the talent, the tactical tweaks – they all point to a new phase. The question now is not whether they have enough bodies in there.

It’s which of them will own the centre of the pitch when the season truly catches fire.