Strengths

From watching Kovacic, the first impression one often gets is how skilled of a dribbler he is. He completes 2.6 dribbles per game winning over 65 percent of his take-ons, for comparison's sake Real Madrid's own dribble master Isco completes the same amount of dribbles per game but at a 57 percent success rate. His dribbling also ties into his passing game, once he beats his man his an incredibly efficient passer with an 87.5 percent pass success rate this past season. He's not much of a crosser or long-ball specialist but his short passes in tight spaces are something to be admired and would fit in nicely in the final third. Kovacic is not an Ozil-type creating nonstop chances for others, but he's still still a very good distributor with 1.8 key passes per game this past season and that number would likely only rise with better teammates around him.

Versatility is also a big part of Kovacic's game. From a 10 to an 8 to a 6, Kovacic has played in a number of roles in a number of systems over the past few years but he's at his best when he sits a bit deeper in the midfield and can dictate play either through his vision or his prodigious dribbling. It would be good to pair him with more of a destroyer type when asking him to play a more controlled game from deep but ideally, he'll have the freedom to roam around from box to box in order to make his impact known.

Despite his physical limitations, Kovacic will still put in a decent defensive shift having put up decent defensive numbers for whatever they're worth (hint: not that much). However, if fans think he's the new DM for this team they should think again, he's much better used as someone receiving the ball and running with it than as someone with the duty to win it back. Some have said he plays like Andres Iniesta, others say more like Andrea Pirlo and the inevitable Modric comparison is there too but he's really more like a combination of all three, though obviously not on their best level yet.

Weaknesses

Size, size, size. AT 5'9 and roughly 175 pounds, Kovacic won't be winning anything close to half of his defensive duels. He's the same height as Modric and Isco and weighs little more. For years Real Madrid fans would take shots at the size of Barcelona's midfield while Madrid trotted out players like Sami Khedira but now that same size criticism could be turned around and used against Madrid as they're focusing on adding technically skilled, but slight of frame, midfielders.

How does that translate into gameplay? Well, Kovacic wins one third of an aerial duel per game at a 31 percent success rate. If he is tasked with being one of the protectors of the back line, as some imagine him doing, it wouldn't take a genius to see how his inclusion could leave Real Madrid vulnerable in the air. He'll likely be able to negate this deficiency with his offensive output but clubs like Atleti could easily bully him off the ball both on the ground and in the air.

Speaking of his dribbling, like most high-usage dribblers there is the risk that he'll lose the ball in a dangerous spot and leave himself and the team defensively exposed. For all his skill, there have been tendencies to over-dribble instead of making the smart move. Often players like this get a free pass due to the potential for something special to happen but this team already suffers from too much individuality at times rather than cohesive team play. Additionally, he has come under fire in the past for his work rate and off the ball positioning, both on offense and defense. It's something to keep an eye on.

Final thoughts

Buying Kovacic, a player many consider to be one of the three best young midfielders along with Marco Verratti and Paul Pogba, for approximately €30-35 million is generally a smart move 9/10 times. However, given this club's glut of talented 10-types, lack of patience with developing CMs and immense pressure, it's not unfair to question the wisdom of this move. Kovacic certainly has many of the attributes (dribbling, pace, vision) to follow in his compatriot's shoes but will he get the necessary minutes to develop as such a player is the question. An argument has been made that Rafa Benitez will rotate much more heavily than Carlo Ancelotti did but if we're being realistic, how much could he possibly rotate the quality of players like he's never had before, especially when the pressure to play his best 11 and win big is there every single match. That's why there are so many doubts over this move.

If this move goes through, Real Madrid will be adding yet another wonderkid to its stable and for a pretty decent price, but if it comes at the expense of driving out a positionally-sound and defensive-minded midfielder like Asier Illarramendi (for all his fault) or even Isco should he see his minutes decrease, then this will be yet another move open to a bevy of questions and criticisms. This team could use another box-to-box type of creative midfielder off the bench but ideally it would be someone who can also add a bit of a defensive and physical presence, not someone who'll add to a slightly concerning trend of diminutive midfield maestros in an increasingly more physical league. Time will tell how it plays out.]Text în spoiler

(Kovacic - un capriciu scump al lui Real Madrid)