Latest reports from the Express suggest that Manchester United have opened talks with Ngolo Kante’s entourage to sign the French World Cup winner in January. It is believed that Jose Mourinho is currently unhappy with his current midfielders and will try to lure the two-time Premier League winner at Old Trafford. The likes of Nemanja Matic and Fred have struggled to get going this season and maybe someone like Kante can fill in the role of a defensive midfielder.
However, Chelsea in no way should look to sell the 27-year-old. In the current attacking role which the midfielder is playing, he hasn’t been that effective. However, he still does a great job in stopping counter attacks and seeing out games. But it’s clear that in a more free role, Kante is not at his best.
Mourinho is likely to play him in his more traditional position where he would sit back and protect the back four. So maybe Kante could be attracted to play at United. But, it is not yet clear that how the midfielder feels about this move at the moment.
Kante has his contract until 2021, so it is clear that he wouldn’t come in cheap. Even then, the Blues are looking to offer him a new and improved deal. The midfielder’s stock has gone up further after the big role Kante played for France in the World Cup.
Sarri philosophy includes building up from the back, and as a result, the Blues manager wants to have a good ball player in the deep instead of a traditional defensive midfielder. Jorginho often plays as the deepest of midfielders and his ability to dictate the game from deep areas makes him stand out. As a result, Kante has been given a more dynamic and box to box role. He still does his job defensively but is often found wanting in picking out a critical pass in the final third.
However, Kante is a kind of character who takes on a new challenge head-on instead of complaining. That is what he recently said about the new role. He said,”It’s a new manager, a new system. I play a little bit more forward. I try to find the striker, to be more offensive, to cause problems for the opponents. I need to adapt in this role and I will give my best in this position for the team and I hope we can keep doing good things for the future.”
So far Paris Saint Germain were considered as the likely future destination for Kante but given United’s financial strength and current position in the league, they could look to spend big soon. However, we expect the Pensioners to hold on to him whatever be the offer from the Red Devils.
