Arsenal News: Arsenal scouts were in Croatia on Thursday, looking for potential midfield reinforcements, and they may have liked what they saw.
Zlatko Dalic’s team defeated Denmark 2-1 to clinch first place in the group. As Manchester United fans cheered Christian Eriksen’s equalizer from long range, Lovro Majer, the player Arsenal scouts were there to watch, scored the winner.
Majer has been in the news since scoring his first goal for his country in November 2021. Here, Mirror Football have taken a closer look at the 24-year-old who is valued at £44m and is often compared to compatriot Luka Modric. , not just because their last names are the same.
Majer, who was born in 1998, made his debut in the top flight and in Europe at just 18 years old. His first professional club was Lokomotiva Zagreb, where he made his debut in August 2016 in a qualifying match for the Europa League. He sat on the sidelines when his team lost a play-off against a Genk side that included future Premier League stars Wilfred Ndidi, Leon Bailey and Leandro Trossard.
Arsenal News: Majer’s rapid rise
A few months later, when Lokomotiva defeated Slaven Belupo, Majer scored his first goal as a senior. He also had two assists. With three goals and 10 assists in the league, he finished the season with a scoring participation every 122 minutes (according to FBRef), and contributed to his team’s fifth place finish.
Majer received his first cap for Croatia during that comeback when then coach Ante Cacic gave him time off the bench against Mexico in May 2017. In a 2-1 win, he took Duje Cop’s place as goalscorer but would have to wait another four years for his next full cap.
However, Majer has now been able to be seen in action for England supporters. He was a member of the Croatia under-21 team that faced the Young Lions in a 3-3 draw at Euro 2019 and helped Domagoj Brdaric score against them in the same competition two years later.
Meanwhile, he has been strutting his stuff at home, scoring 11 goals for Lokomotiva in the 2017-18 season, earning him a €2.5m transfer to Dinamo Zagreb. Although it didn’t happen right away, his play there drew comparisons to Luka Modric, another former Dinamo star.
The competition was fierce at the time, in Majer’s defense. Dani Olmo was a playmaker who had received absolute prominence from Spain while playing for Spain, so it was hard for anyone to top him at the time. However, Olmo’s departure in 2020 gave Majer a chance to really shine.
Kajer’s contribution to the title win
Dinamo easily won the title, eight points ahead of their closest rivals, thanks to their performances during the 2020-21 season. He too performed admirably in the Europa League, lending a helping hand when Dinamo stunned Spurs in the round of 16 but ultimately lost to eventual champions Villarreal in the quarter-finals.
The 2018 World Cup finalists were still on course to qualify for this year’s tournament when Majer came off the bench in a victory over Slovakia. Majer was inching closer to rejoining the international fold at this point.
Soon after, he scored his first senior goals, including two in a 7-1 win against Malta, and Croatia secured their place in Qatar by beating Russia to top spot in their group.
Both the shape and its adaptability drew attention. Indeed, former France international and Rennes manager Florian Maurice noted Majer’s versatility by securing him a contract worth an initial €12m.
