This article is part of Football FanCast's Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba's haircuts to League Two relegation battles...

Not all deals in football turn out just the way you imagined them. Or rather, they rarely do.

Real Madrid, for instance, might be banging their head against the wall after agreeing to turn Mateo Kovacic's loan into a permanent stay following a transfer worth around £40m.

Of course, at that time, it seemed like a good move.

The Croat wasn't really given the chance to shine at the Santiago Bernabeu - seeing how most of his last season in Spain saw him warm the bench or the stands - and even when he was on the pitch, it certainly didn't look as good as it looks now.

It took him a while, granted, but at the moment, the 25-year-old midfielder is showing his worth and repaying the trust Frank Lampard is putting in him.

So far, he has played a total of 20 games for the Blues across all competitions in 2019/20, netting one goal and two assists in the process. More importantly, however, he has started nine of the 13 games in the Premier League and four out five in the Champions League.

Needless to say, he quickly went from zero to hero and is now commanding quite a status at Stamford Bridge.

When we take a glance at his statistics, it's easy to see why.

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Even though 0.5 shots and 0.8 key passes per game in the Premier League are not something out of the ordinary, Kovacic makes up for it with 2.6 dribbles per game and a good defensive shift with 2.2 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game.

Not to mention that his passing is almost immaculate with 90.8% accuracy and 62.6 passes on average.

By all accounts, he has matured into a world-class midfielder and still has room for development. But maybe the biggest proof of his rebirth was actually seen the other night against Valencia.

Kovacic netted a goal along with four shots, 96.5% passing accuracy, one key pass, five dribbles and two tackles. It was truly a complete display by the Croatian midfielder who was a huge reason the Blues tallied that point against the Bats.

For a player that was somehow deemed surplus to requirements at his former club, he is doing just fine under Lampard.

And Real Madrid? They just might be looking back at this transfer and feeling regret.

£45m doesn't seem like a good enough consolation right about now.

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