Gazzetta dello Sport disclosed that former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is longing to be reunited with N’golo Kante.
Conte had already brought Victor Moses, Romelu Lukaku, Christian Eriksen, Ashley Young, and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan since being appointed as Inter’s manager. Though Antonio Conte had never worked with all the players he had signed from Premier league teams save Victor Moses but the Italian manager is looking to shop for more players from the Premier league and N’golo Kante has been muted to be Conte’s next signing from the EPL.
The 29-year-old, French Central midfielder ‘Kanté’ is known for his relentless energy and excellent ball-winning abilities as a box-to-box midfielder. This is attributed to his strong positional sense, off the ball movement, and ability to read the game. His game is considered or tasked with doing the “dirty work,” which includes running, fetching, and retrieving possession; to benefit teammates so they can be put in goal scoring positions.
Though, Kanté has said he doesn’t necessarily enjoy his role but the “satisfaction in recovering a ball, in protecting my team from an opponent’s attack,” is what keeps him going.
Surprisingly for a player that centers his playing style mostly around ball recoveries and tackles, in five years in the Premier League, he has yet to receive a red card.
Kante has been Chelsea’s most consistent player since signing for the Blues from Premier league rival Leicester City, for a reported fee of £32 million, signing a five years contract with the Blues in July 2016.
With his tremendous performances, In 2017 Kanté was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the second consecutive season. He was also later named the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, the FWA Footballer of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season.
Also in 2017, Kanté was named the French Player of the Year, a first for a player from the Premier League in seven years, and 12 months later was a key member of the 2018 FIFA World Cup winning squad.
Kante had previously been linked with a move to PSG, but he calmly revealed that he decided against moving to PSG and said, “Sometimes we do not necessarily know where we want to go, but we know what we have.” He said he felt good in London and had faith in the project at Chelsea.
Though Kante is said to be keen at staying in Chelsea despite report in the Spanish media linking him with a transfer to Real Madrid. Kante’s absence due to injury issues has seen Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho strike up a good partnership in his absence, while Loftus-Cheek’s return from injury, Billy Gilmour’s emergence, Ross Barkley and Mason Mount also in the squad, makes the midfield competition very healthy and gives little hope (to Kante) for reclaiming a starting berth in the team.
Antonio Conte had previously worked with the France international midfielder during his managerial spell at Chelsea, and it now seems like both of them will be reuniting once again at Inter.
N’golo Kante’s ability, commitment, work rate and quality will surely help Conte’s team to be more step closer to competing for the Serie A title next season amid Juventus long dominance.
