Given all of the new signings Chelsea have made, and with Declan Rice reportedly another top target, they will also be looking to sell. However, one of the players who is absolutely not for sale is N’Golo Kanté
According to Matt Law of the Telegraph, Chelsea have rejected a bid from Inter Milan which included Marcelo Brozović going the other way.
REPORT: Chelsea Turn Down Inter Bid for Kante
Among the World’s Best on His Day
Kanté’s career has slowed down a bit in the past year, with unfortunate injuries hampering his progress last season season. He was also played out of position under Lampard’s predecessor Maurizio Sarri, who would only play Jorginho in defensive midfield.
Lampard, however, is much less rigid with his formation choices and has moved Kanté back where he belongs. That is, of course, at the base of the midfield, where he can stop opposition attacks and retrieve the ball consistently.
The sheer distance Kanté covers every match is incredible, and many top players have said that sometimes they think there’s two of him on the pitch. He has an insatiable work-rate and hunger for the ball, and he just never stops running.
Sarri tried to convert him into a box-to-box No. 8, but that’s not where he helps the team the most. Lampard has moved him to either a midfield pair or the sole defensive midfielder, and he has impressed.
The only issue is that the Frenchman struggled plenty with injuries this year. He missed 16 Premier League games through several different injuries last season, nearly half the season. But on his day, he remains the best at what he does.
Departure Rumors Quashed
There were rumblings about Lampard potentially thinking about letting Kanté go this summer, but the boss looks set to keep a hold of the Frenchman, who will continue to play a crucial role at Stamford Bridge.
With the arrival of Kai Havertz, plus the emergence of Mason Mount and the return to fitness of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Lampard has many midfield options at his disposal, not to mention the Blues’ Player of the Year Mateo Kovacic.
Out of that group, though, only Kanté, Jorginho, and occasionally Kovacic play in the holding midfield role. Kovacic’s best role is as a box-to-box midfielder, driving past defenders with ease, while Jorginho will likely not get significant playtime this season.
That leaves Kante as the best option to play in this role. He is world-class when he’s in form, and, provided he can steer clear of injuries, he can get back to his former self. The former Leicester City man was the PFA Player of the Year on just the one occasion after winning back-to-back titles with Chelsea and Leicester City.
We all know what he can do, and this is his season to prove that he’s well and truly back. Kanté will get that opportunity playing at Chelsea, not Inter Milan.
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