Finally, the departure of N'golo Kante from the bright lights of European football was confirmed this morning. Though I'm not a Chelsea supporter, I have to admit that I fully admire what Kante has done not just for football, but for the common folks out there with dreams and aspirations.
In a glamorous football business where only the prodigiously talented ones like Messi and Neymar or the incredibly "swaggerlicious" ones like Cristiano Ronaldo get all the attention, Kante came in quietly and got us all to fall in love with his calm and simple approach to everything. In an era where more emphasis is getting placed on technicality and positional play in football, Kante reminded us that a purely hardworking dude can win it all, and be the best at doing that.
Though I won't be effectively watching the Saudi Pro League, I will gladly watch a match that involves Kante just to catch a glimpse of this great man once again. Despite being a tackler, I've never seen him make a malicious tackle or get hounded by an opponent for rough treatment. N'golo Kante, you'll be missed.
What's Up With Kai?
Anyone that exceeded expectations - like Arteta did last season - is definitely granted the leeway to make some vitally important decisions. A serious interest in Declan Rice is a welcome idea, afterall the West Ham captain is definitely an upgrade to the likes of Xhaka and maybe Jorginho. What baffles me though is the very serious interest in Kai Havertz. The German was projected to be a world beater while at Leverkusen. At 24, he can still become one of the best players out there, but 47 goal contributions in three seasons of 139 games doesn't really align with the stats of a world beater.
I get the fact Arsenal needed more quality to compete strongly in the Premier League and Champions League, but spending about £60M on a player who will not walk into the starting 11 looks a bit odd for me. However, if Havertz gets to Arsenal and puts all those qualities to good use, it will be money well spent. He looks a bit sluggish to me though. Just saying.😎
