After unsuccessfully chasing Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan, Chelsea seem to have weakened the title winners after agreeing a deal for N’Golo Kante.
Aside from the 31 point gap in the final table between title winners Leicester and Chelsea, the biggest difference between the clubs was N’Golo Kante. Not so much the man but the function of his duties. Kante’s counterpart, Nemanja Matic, had a shaky (at best) season. Chelsea has reportedly chosen to correct that in the most direct way:
"Chelsea are poised to sign N’Golo Kanté after agreeing a deal with Leicester City which, with add-ons, could be worth €35m (£29.2m). – via The Guardian"
After flirting heavily with Radja Nainggolan for months only to be coldly rejected, Chelsea went all-in with N’Golo Kante – who reportedly responded in kind. Sources – you know, the people who know so much but seemingly never want any credit for it – claimed that N’Golo was intrigued by Antonio Conte’s Chelsea project. No eleventh hour phone call needed, Conte sold Kante just by being Conte.
Chelsea’s issues of last season, though plenty, stemmed from a midfield and defense that wasn’t good enough. Conte’s Juventus relied on midfield terrier Arturo Vidal as a springboard from defense to offense. It was no secret Chelsea would need a similar player if they were to turn their fortunes around in one season. This is also why Radja Nainggolan was sought after so vigorously. His rejections might have done Chelsea a tremendous favor:
| N'Golo Kante | Radja Nainggolan | Arturo Vidal |
|---|---|---|
| 3.72 Tackles won (per 90) | 1.59 | 2.81 |
| 4.64 Interceptions (per 90) | 1.41 | 1.76 |
| 2.02 Clearances (per 90) | 0.74 | 0.66 |
| 0.33 Blocks (per 90) | 0.03 | 0.26 |
Radja who?
Not allowing teams to gather steam before coming in contact with your backline and winning the ball in advanced positions was something Leicester did better than anybody last season. Namely because N’Golo Kante was better at it than anyone across the top five leagues. The key to playing attractive, flowing, beautiful and winning football is a midfielder willing to relish the dirty work.
Next: 4 takeaways from Antonio Conte’s first Chelsea press conference
Chelsea’s biggest midfield defensive liability, Cesc Fabregas (still on vacation and probably shirtless), may just accidentally shout the newcomers name during an intimate moment. Welcome to Chelsea.