Former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has advised the club to pass the chance to permanently sign Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic.
The Dutch international, who played for Chelsea up until 2004, says Kovacic cannot deliver for the club since he is played out of position most of the time.
The Croat has been used sparingly at the Bridge, coming in as a substitute in most EPL matches due to the few spots in the Chelsea team.
“I think he was signed as a way to get better value from the deal that saw Courtois go to Real Madrid, but he hasn’t been used correctly at Chelsea. Kovacic is a defensive midfielder and that is where he performed best at Real Madrid, but Chelsea are already blessed with Jorginho and Kante in that role. Chelsea needs a midfielder who has creativity and can split defences with a final pass, who can set up strikers and achieve assists, but this is not Kovacic’s strengths,” said Floyd.
Kovacic was brought to Stamford Bridge on a season-long loan as part of the deal that took goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to Madrid, with Chelsea having the option of a permanent buy at the end of the season.
The London-based side is in the running for a title in Europe, and will on Thursday play the Europa Leaguequarter-final return leg against Slavia Prague, boasting a 1-0 lead from last week win in Czech