In a recent report, the Athletic (subscription required) mentioned that Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante is not willing to commit his future to the West London club. It has been claimed that the French midfield ace has rejected a new contract proposal from the Blues with his current deal set to expire at the end of this season.
Kante’s Decent Form At Stamford Bridge Last Season
Kante produced a handful of impressive displays at the heart of Chelsea’s midfield in the previous campaign. The France international scored twice and picked up five assists in 42 matches for the Blues last season across various competitions.
The 31-year-old deserves a lot of credit for averaging 2.3 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 0.7 shots, 0.9 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in Premier League football. He was even excellent when distributing possession from midfield after making 86.7% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
With less than a year remaining in his current contract, the Blues have no choice but to sell him at a cut-price fee this January or risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.
What Should Chelsea’s New Boss Graham Potter Do With Regards To Kante?
Kante is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to earn the ball back for his team at the centre of the park. He doesn’t mind clearing the danger when needed and can still offer decent protection for his teammates at the back. Kante mainly operates as a defensive midfielder but can also play as a box-to-box midfielder.
The French sensation remains a decent playmaker in the opposition half and can even score the odd goal from time to time. Kante has got a wealth of experience of playing at the highest level. He has even won a lot of trophies during his career which has made him such a fan favorite at Stamford Bridge.
However, father time is slowly catching up with his game. Plus, the Frenchman is on an expiring contract at the West London club. Therefore, Graham Potter has no choice but to entertain offers for Kante when the transfer window reopens at the start of January.
It looks likely that the France international’s successful spell at Chelsea might soon come to an end. However, there is no denying that the player will go down in history as one of the club’s best midfielders even if he decides to leave next year.
