Of all the transfers to be completed in the summer of 2019, none have had such underwhelming returns as the €60million Real Madrid spent to sign Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt.
The Serbian striker was prolific for the Bundesliga club last season as he netted a devastating 27 goals, including 10 in their run to the Europa League semi-finals.
Jovic netted in both of Frankfurt’s 1-1 draws against their final four opponents and also hit the target in the penalty shootout but was unable to prevent his side being edged out by Chelsea.
Fast forward 10 months and it is the Europa League holders to whom Jovic is now linked with a move.
Real Madrid fallout
The Bosnia-born forward initially joined Frankfurt on a two-year loan deal from Benfica in the summer of 2017 but it was not until his second season in Germany was when he really exploded onto the scene with prolific form.
The move was made permanent for €8million but Benfica generated a further €18million as they inserted a 30% sell-on clause ahead of his move to the Spanish capital.
Upon his arrival last summer, the Madrid club website described the striker as ‘powerful, a technical footballer and a great finisher’.
There was a great deal of excitement surrounding the deal, even though it was somewhat dwarfed by the imminent deal that took Eden Hazard to Los Blancos from Chelsea.
There was a great hope that Jovic would alleviate the attacking responsibility levied on Karim Benzema, who had carried the mantle almost single-handedly since Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure to Juventus in 2018. However, this has not even come close to materialising - Jovic has started just four league games for Zinedine Zidane’s side and has netted just two goals.
Disciplinary issues
Jovic’s on-field problems have been matched by those away from the game. The Serbia national team manager Ljubisa Tumbakovic explained why the striker had been omitted from international duty: ‘Luka Jovic's problem is Luka Jovic.’ Tumbakovic went on to explain how the 22-year-old had failed to report for training duty and would not answer subsequent phone calls.
There was further controversy this month when Jovic was allegedly seen partying on the streets of Belgrade – a move which has drawn criticism both in the nation and in Spain, despite being told by his club to self-isolate and not mix in public. Serbia Prime Minister Ana Brnabic also was critical of the footballer: ‘We have negative examples of our footballers, who are paid very well, ignoring mandatory self-isolation upon returning home.’
Aside from Benzema, no other player in Zidane’s squad has scored more than three league goals this campaign and no forward has scored more than two.
Jovic was identified as the striker to fire Madrid - who have scored 14 La Liga goals fewer than Barcelona - back to the top of the league, but he is now often excluded from the matchday squad altogether despite being injury-free.
Is Chelsea the right move?
Jovic established himself as the main man at Frankfurt, having failed to breakthrough at Benfica and if he is to leave Madrid this summer - a possibility which is appearing to be increasingly likely - then it must be to a destination where he is focused and driven.
But will Chelsea offer him a prolonged run in the starting line-up? Frank Lampard’s setup allows for just one striker at any one time.
While the long-term futures of Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi appear to be increasingly uncertain, Tammy Abraham had previously established himself as the first-choice number nine.
It appears unlikely that Jovic would oust the Englishman in Lampard’s preference, but could be an effective option from the bench.
But such an arrangement would likely be a loan deal and it may make more sense for Chelsea to instead permanently sign another, more affordable striker, who would not arrive with the baggage of the Serbian.
