During the 2019 January transfer window, Manchester City announced they had signed Croatia U19 international Ante Palaversa from Hajduk Split.
The youngster stayed in his home country to finish the season on loan, but arrived at the Etihad in the summer, where he was immediately loaned out to get some first-team football and continue his development.
Now at KV Oostende in Belgium, where he has started four of a possible six games, the 19-year-old is an example of the scouting the Premier League champions have been doing in Eastern Europe recently.
And they seem to be on the verge of doing the exact same thing again, this time with Slobodan Tedić.
As revealed by Cukaricki’s director of football Nenad Mirosavljević, Manchester City have purchased the 19-year-old striker from the Serbian for €3m.
Mirosavljević explained how the move came about: “He’s been on City’s radar for a long time, with scouts often coming to see him. There have been game where we didn’t even know they were in the stands. They watched all of his games, his every move, which is quite normal for the world’s biggest clubs.
“When they officially contacted us, we easily and quickly agreed. This is a confirmation of our good work, but also the best possible marketing for Cukaricki, and for Serbian football in general”.
The director of football said he was ‘relieved’ to see Tedić stay until January as they were worried about finding ‘an adequate replacement in the short term’.
With Agüero now on the wrong side of 30, it isn’t surprising to see Manchester City think about the future in the position, even with Gabriel Jesus already in the squad.
Tedić is certainly one for the future, but a couple of successful loan spells here and there in the next few years could quickly make him a viable option for Guardiola down the line once the Argentine decides it’s time to either call it a day on his career or return to his home country.
