Not every player has the honour of becoming a club captain in their lifetime. It was hence, a matter of great significance when Stevan Jovetic was offered the club captaincy at the age of 17. He became the youngest player ever to wear the armband at Partizan.
A career that began with such a great demonstration of the greatness to come continued to flourish when he secured a move to Italian side Fiorentina. The Montenegro international, recorded a fee of €8 million, something not usual for a club of Fiorentina’s financial power to pay for an 18-year old.
His stock continued to soar in Italy as he developed into a fine, young striker. During his spell at the club, he scored 40 goals and assisted 21 in 134 appearances. The achievement was all the more impressive given his young age and the fact that he had missed an entire season (the season of 2010-11) after suffering a cruciate ligament injury during pre-season training.
Jovetic’s hot form and great potential meant that the recently taken over Manchester City came knocking for the player. City wanted another pearl in their already jewel-studded necklace and Jovetic’s move to the Etihad was secured for a fee of €26 million.
He was the promising, young striker ready to make the next big impression on European football. However, City’s richly assembled squad meant that Jovetic was no longer the centre of attention and had to fight hard to stay in the first team squad, let alone start with them.
The demotion to the bench for the first time in his career affected the player’s morale and confidence. His City career never really took off and he ended his time there with 11 goals and 6 assists in 44 games.
He has since gone on to play in other clubs, but the potential that was lost has not been recovered. He secured a move to the French champions this summer with Monaco paying €11 million for the Montenegro man.
His time at Monaco has not gone smoothly either with Jovetic frustrated at being reduced to a bench role in the club, despite them losing Kylian Mbappe this season. He has just played 6 games for the French outfit and come away with a single goal in that time.
It is now being reported that he is angling for a return to the Premier League, to a club of a comparatively smaller stature, where he can play regularly. It has provided a club like Southampton with an ideal opportunity to snap up the frustrated striker.
The Saints have scored only 9 goals in 11 league games this season and clearly, their options up front have not clicked, leaving them pondering for a new striker who can bang in goals. A low-key move might just be the late boost Jovetic needs to kickstart his stagnated career once again.
