Mario Pasalic

Mario Pasalic has made Atalanta his home since 2018, becoming one of Serie A's most consistent box-to-box midfielders under Gian Piero Gasperini. Despite being technically a Chelsea player for years, he never played a competitive minute for them — his development happened entirely through loans and then permanently at Atalanta, where he contributes goals, pressing, and late runs into the box. For Croatia, he offers a different dimension to Modric and Kovacic — more physical, more direct, and capable of arriving late to score. His Atalanta experience in European competition adds tactical maturity.