Aston Villa have long been chasing Lovre Kalinić and the goalkeeper’s move to England didn’t take shape three years ago due to work permit issues.
That wasn’t the case this time around as the Croatia international sealed a switch to Villa Park from Gent in the winter transfer window and the 28-year-old was relieved the transfer was completed.
Kalinić has given an interview to France Football and was asked about the mentality of his former Gent teammate Stefan Mitrović, who moved to Strasbourg before the start of the season.
Asked if the Serbian was the captain at the Jupiler Pro League club, he said: “Honestly, no. At Gent, he was not captain, it was Nana Asare, but he was second [captain] and he worked as if he were! He has a huge mentality.”
“Captain or not, he is a leader in the dressing room. He puts the players back when they have their nose in the turf, he urges the whole team to be more aggressive, to raise their head, during a match or in training,” the Championship stopper said.
“He does not like to see others give up. In the dressing room, he imposes, even without saying anything. It is the charisma.”
Kalinić believes his compatriots, along with others from the same region, share a similar mentality.
“I wonder if it’s not all the Balkans that are like that! Serbs, Croats, Bosnians … We have a mentality that others do not have. We are more emotional, we want to prove things to the world,” he added.
For now, Aston Villa will be hoping that Kalinić can prove his abilities in helping them finish the season in the top six so that it improves their chances of making the jump to the Premier League.
