Despite nearly signing a new deal a few months ago, N’Golo Kante leaves Chelsea Football Club for Saudi Arabia on a mega contract.
A true genuine footballer that defines everything that is right about the game. That is what N’Golo Kante is and always will be. Never did he cause a fuss, or create any sort of drama. He simply had the smile to light up the entirely of west London. Not only can the west Londoners not replace him on the pitch, but his attitude both on and off the field of play was second to nobody. He drove around in an inexpensive Mini Copper for years before he was forced to upgrade. That was his personality, humble and never afraid to display is true self to the world.
After the contract talks between Chelsea Football Club and Kante stalled, there was always going to be a possibility that his tenure with the west London outfit will be over. According to Fabrizio Romano, Kante is has agreed to a two-year deal to join the Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, the nine-time Saudi Pro League champions. Kante joins former Wolves and Tottenham manager Nuno Espirito Santo who most recently led his side to their first league title since 2009.
The news comes soon after Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema confirmed he would be departing the Spanish powerhouse on a mega-deal with the same club. You can’t blame a player from taking a deal that features salary that could reach €100m (£86.2m) a year. All you can do is shake your head in appreciation, and acknowledge the times he served as one of the best footballers in the world in a Chelsea kit.
N'Golo Kanté has agreed to a two-year deal with Saudi club Al Ittihad, according to @FabrizioRomano. pic.twitter.com/OGdqxoAv2g
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 7, 2023
Since July 16, 2016, Kante has donned the CFC shirt with pride and class. You would think with his talent, the midfielder would be quite an expensive transfer. The Blues managed to secure him for just £32m. In the history of the west Londoners, there will never be another piece of business that was done better.
He always wanted to be part of the rebuild in west London, but over the last few weeks, the belief that it would happen significantly decreased day by day. The French midfielder won nearly everything during his seven years in blue. From being crowned a Premier League champion in 2017 to hoisting the Champions League trophy in 2021, Kante was always an essential part to the success of the team. His accomplishments did not stop with the team. The Blues’ now former No. 7 was just the third CFC player in the history of this club in the Premier League era to win the league’s Player of the Season. No west Londoner has won the award since. Other individual accomplishments include the Chelsea Player of the Season in 2017/2018, and the UEFA Champions League Midfielder of the Season in 2020/2021.
Despite not being fit at times throughout his tenure with the Blues, Kante always put his best foot forward when he stepped between the white lines. He will always be known for the displays he pieced together when the lights were shining the brightest. In the biggest game of his career as a west Londoner in Porto, Kante won the Man of the Match to propel his side to a Champions League crown over Manchester City. The Blues’ now former No. 7 may have not scored a whole lot of goals, but when he did find the back of the net, it was something special. Fans of the west London side will always remember the French international’s stunning winner in the FA Cup quarterfinals at the Bridge against Manchester United, his second goal of the 2016/2017 campaign against the Red Devils.
N’Golo Kante’s departure a brutal blow to Chelsea midfield who now enter a new era for the Blues
The Frenchmen won 161 tackles during his first two campaigns with the Blues including his second season in which he collected 198 tackles plus interceptions, 64 more than any player during league play. His most notable statistic has to be 395 tackles won across all competitions since joining the west London outfit. Nobody was better at distributing the flow of the game for the opposition than a prime Kante. His prowess as a defensive midfielder will always been remembered fondly.
The French international’s days in the Premier League may be over, the mark he left will last forever. Unlike Magdalena Eriksson and Pernille Harder on the women’s side, Kante will not get a deserved farewell in front of the home fans in west London. For CFC fans, that is the toughest part. At least in his last match for the Blues, Kante contributed to a goal that helped guarantee the safety of the club for next season’s top-flight campaign.
He is undoubtably one of the greatest players to ever put on a CFC shirt. Few in the history of the game could do what he did during his prime on the football pitch. Manchester City said it best, “Kante has been everywhere all game, if we can bypass him we might be in business.” Not even the brightest mind in the game on the biggest stage in club football could master the kind of quality the Blues’ former No. 7 brought.
The Paris native manned the middle of the pitch on one-leg in the 2018/2019 Europa League final against Arsenal, and without him during the 2020/2021 Champions League run, the Blues would have been dusted far before the final. He was a different breed of footballer. Just like it says in the East Stand at the Bridge, “They don’t make them like Ray anymore.” In today’s game, they don’t make them like ‘NG’ anymore either.
The community here at the PoL and every Chelsea fan around the world would like to thank N’Golo Kante for his time and contributions to the club as a whole over the past seven years. We wish him nothing but the best going forward.