From Boulogne, a third tier French outfit, to Chelsea, a European giant, N Golo Kante’s journey to the current position is nothing less than fascinating. The 25-year old has had an exceptional year so far winning the Premier League, finding a place in the French national squad and taking them to the finals of the EURO16 at home but his season with Chelsea is not off to the greatest start. Antonio Conte, the new boss at Chelsea is still trying to settle into his strongest lineup with not many players providing consistency.
A powerhouse in the midfield, the former Leicester City man is one of the most exciting players in his position in the league at the moment. Though he does not possess an extraordinary skill or dazzling dribbling abilities, Kante is gifted with an assured technique and an even better head on his shoulders that allowed him to dominate the midfield for the Champions of England in the previous season. He was superb in every game, putting in a lengthy shift and helping out on every corner of the field and earned himself a place in Conte’s side this season.
Having started every game so far this season, Kante is a regular personnel under Antonio Conte. Playing at the heart of the midfield, the Frenchman has a pass completion percentage of 91% compared to his 82% last season. He has similar figures in most other attributes like interceptions made and duels won, compared to the previous season, which shows that he has not only adjusted the new club but is also getting better. At 25, Kante has the best part of his career ahead of him and playing in the midfield of a club that belongs in Europe will only help him improve as a player.
It is understandable, with the unrest at the Bridge, there will be some talks about Kante moving away from the club, but Conte, the Chelsea manager need not worry about the rumors. The French international decided to move away from the King Power to join a top class European club when in his prime and Chelsea is as big a club as he can get. He is good enough to walk into most other clubs in the country but having already assumed a senior role in the midfield of the side, there must be a drastic change for the 25-year old to skip the club at point of his Chelsea career.
He has a huge contract at the club and will surely put any potential suitors a decent hole in the pocket. Chelsea have the ball in their court and with the importance of Kante to the side, surely, they will not be ready to let him go. Conte will have to ignore all such rumours and try to start building his team around Kante in the midfield as it will provide him with a solid base at the back for his team’s attacks.