All 2-way MTM centers perform about the same in terms of directivity - there is no way around that, regardless of wether you're willing to accept that.
On-axis is probably fine though, although I know of no measurements for that particular speaker, the other entires to that line perform well.
The cheapest (at least in the German market, currently at 270€) decent 3-way center is also made by Elac:
https://www.erinsaudiocorner.com/loudspeakers/elac_uc52/
Might be an option in the US as well, but of course it's not a great fit stylistically if that matters to you.