{"id":369,"date":"2016-09-05T10:29:29","date_gmt":"2016-09-05T14:29:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=369"},"modified":"2016-09-05T10:29:29","modified_gmt":"2016-09-05T14:29:29","slug":"idrissa-gueye-and-ngolo-kante-resemblance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2016\/09\/05\/idrissa-gueye-and-ngolo-kante-resemblance\/","title":{"rendered":"Idrissa Gueye and the N’Golo Kant\u00e9 resemblance"},"content":{"rendered":"

His transfer from recently-relegated Aston Villa<\/strong> to apparently ambitious Everton<\/strong> was met with pondering rumination from all corners. In a team regarded as one of the worst in the Premier League<\/strong> era<\/a>, Idrissa Gueye<\/strong> was largely overlooked. Perhaps, in hindsight, that nobody seemed to notice the Senegalese international was a good thing.<\/p>\n

Villa were in turmoil. The players\u2019 pitch-side arguments with fans, their unprofessional social media activity and their general in-game incompetence overshadowed any individual promise on the pitch. When Everton duly completed the \u00a37.1m signing of Gueye, a look at his stats sparked comparisons<\/a> to a Premier League winner of similar style.<\/p>\n

Idrissa Gueye and N’Golo Kant\u00e9’s similarities<\/strong><\/h2>\n

N\u2019Golo Kant\u00e9<\/strong>\u00a0joined Leicester for a modest fee of \u00a35.6m in the summer of 2015. A relatively unknown figure outside of Caen<\/strong>, he quickly became Leicester\u2019s main man. His work-rate and mobility epitomised the way Claudio Ranieri<\/strong> wanted his team to work.\u00a0Shinji Okazaki<\/strong>, Jamie Vardy<\/strong> and Danny Drinkwater<\/strong> joined Kant\u00e9 in covering every blade of grass through the team\u2019s spine.<\/p>\n

The Frenchman<\/strong> was winning more tackles than anyone else in the league; more interceptions too. And the plaudits followed. Kant\u00e9 was lauded as one of the best players in the league.<\/p>\n

Second to Kant\u00e9 in tackles won and interceptions made<\/a> was a player at the opposite end of the league. While the Leicester man picked up a Premier League winners\u2019 medal at the season\u2019s end, Idrissa Gueye was dropping into the second tier of English<\/strong> Football.<\/p>\n

As collectives, Leicester City<\/strong> and Aston Villa were worlds apart. But individually, as per the statistics, Idrissa Gueye and N’Golo Kant\u00e9 were showing a remarkable resemblance. Gueye, in a Villa team that barely competed with the rest of the league, went unnoticed.<\/p>\n

Both, though, got career-progressing moves this summer. Kant\u00e9 to Chelsea<\/strong> for \u00a332m and Gueye to Everton for just over \u00a37m. Interestingly, they were spotted by the same man.<\/p>\n

Steve Walsh, now Everton\u2019s Director of Football<\/strong>, previously Leicester\u2019s Head of Recruitment<\/strong>, has been credited with unearthing Kant\u00e9. It was revealed earlier in the year that Walsh was persistent in his urge for Ranieri to sign the Frenchman.<\/p>\n

This summer, his first recommendation to Ronald Koeman<\/strong> was Gueye.<\/p>\n

Four games in, not one foot wrong<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Statistics often don\u2019t tell the whole story. And though Walsh clearly has a talent for spotting hidden gems, nor can his word be taken as gospel.<\/p>\n

But when Gueye put in a man of the match performance against Tottenham<\/strong><\/a> on the opening day, it was clear Everton had got themselves a bargain. He chased and harried all game long, shutting down the space in between the lines, preventing Spurs<\/strong> from creating chances. Dele Alli<\/strong>, in the number 10 position, was anonymous.<\/p>\n

He also made six tackles<\/a>, helping Everton to launch a number of counter attacks, and was commanding in the air. Gueye, at 5ft 7\u201d up against Eric<\/strong> Dier<\/strong> and Victor<\/strong> Wanyama<\/strong> (both 6ft 1\u201d), won 100% of his aerial duels.<\/p>\n

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Idrissa Gueye: Only N'Golo Kante made more tackles and interceptions combined in Europe's top 5 leagues last season than Gueye (285) #EFC<\/a><\/p>\n

— WhoScored (@WhoScored) July 26, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n