This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
N’Golo Kante has slowly but surely been rising through the ranks of modern football.
The emergence from his cocoon was rapid and he took the stage by storm. Now, he is already a huge part of the Chelsea jigsaw and has been for some time.
The same can be said for Frank Lampard, Antonio Conte’s and Maurizio Sarri’s iterations of the team, as he has already mustered a total of 156 appearances for the club.
Of course, the 28-year-old midfielder has been largely hampered by injuries in 2019/20 but can still boast 1154 minutes under his belt throughout the campaign and across all competitions.
But a recent report coming from El Desmarque claims that Kante wants to leave Chelsea at the end of the season, with Juventus, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid being preferred next destinations.
Losing someone of Kante’s stature would surely hurt Lampard’s team.
After all, the 28-year-old has already bagged three goals in ten Premier League clashes and has averaged 1.5 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game in the ongoing campaign.
He is a well-rounded player and someone who offers a unique skill set to the Blues.
The Frenchman’s void would be extremely difficult to fill by any of his teammates at Stamford Bridge and despite El Desmarque stating it could take more than €100m (£83.2m) to get the deal over the line, that would hardly be adequate compensation for his departure.
For true Chelsea fans only: How much do you really know about the Blues’ famous 2004/05 season? Test your knowledge now…
Should Juventus reciprocate Kante’s apparent interest, however, it would likely mean striking gold.
After all, Sarri currently doesn’t really have anyone who fits the profile and with Kante being able to play both as a central and defensive midfielder, according to the games Transfermarkt have in their database, he could potentially patch up a rather weak area of their squad.
That pivot role is currently occupied only by Emre Can and despite his qualities, the player has been largely frozen out of the squad – with only 272 minutes under his belt in 2019/20 – and has been linked with an exit in the not so distant future, as per Sport Bild’s report (via The Sun).
Not to mention that Kante would potentially be a huge improvement on Juventus’ squad as a whole and a boost for their hopes and dreams this season – which include lifting the Champions League title.
Should the report ring true, a reunion between Sarri and Kante would do the Old Lady a world of good.
Meanwhile, many Spurs fans were delighted with the update on Mourinho’s reported target that could be joining soon…