N'Golo Kante

I haven't watch much of Chelsea this season but has he seriously regressed or not? If he is anywhere near the player he was in the past few seasons I'd have no issue with us signing him as he would immediately be a huge upgrade and he is only 31 so could easily be an option for 3-4 years.

Considering we would have limited budget and a lot of positions to fill I have no problem with is signing Kante on the cheap and invest the rest in other parts of the squad
 
Red Rash said:
I haven't watch much of Chelsea this season but has he seriously regressed or not? If he is anywhere near the player he was in the past few seasons I'd have no issue with us signing him as he would immediately be a huge upgrade and he is only 31 so could easily be an option for 3-4 years.

Considering we would have limited budget and a lot of positions to fill I have no problem with is signing Kante on the cheap and invest the rest in other parts of the squad
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He's been injury prone. He's only appeared in 24 league games (40 out of 60 in all comps - Mount has played 54 games for comparison) and some of those were off the bench.

When he's played he's had some outstanding games but also some rather underwhelming games. It's been a mixed bag for him really.
 
Jacob said:
There's a very logical reason for that. Chelsea wouldn't sell until they felt he's on a decline. Its not as if we could sign prime Kante from a rival.
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Don’t be too logical mate, you missed the sarcasm in my post.
 
Jacob said:
There's a very logical reason for that. Chelsea wouldn't sell until they felt he's on a decline. Its not as if we could sign prime Kante from a rival.
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Or Chelsea needs money this summer and Kante is a logical sale?
 
I'd prefer it if we stayed away from Chelsea's hand me downs but if better targets can't be secured then he may be adequate enough.
 
horsechoker said:
I'd prefer it if we stayed away from Chelsea's hand me downs but if better targets can't be secured then he may be adequate enough.
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Yeah nothing at all from anyone remotely reliable suggests this is a non starter
 
This could be a good transfer if the price is attractive. Still a good footballer (albeit not elite anymore) and would fit in nicely next to FDJ.

Can't see Chelsea selling him to us unless it's for a ridiculous fee though. And that injury record is a concern - would probably only get 2 or 3 decent seasons out of him at most.
 
Drizzle said:
This could be a good transfer if the price is attractive. Still a good footballer (albeit not elite anymore) and would fit in nicely next to FDJ.

Can't see Chelsea selling him to us unless it's for a ridiculous fee though. And that injury record is a concern - would probably only get 2 or 3 decent seasons out of him at most.
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When have Chelsea refused to sell us players? They sold Mata and Matic for very decent fees. We've been more fleeced by the likes of Palace and Leicester City.
 
I love Kante. But this does look like our standard “let’s sign Chelsea’s aging midfielder who’s just past his peak” move.
 
Why are we negotiating the fee with Barca if the player isn't willing? Something doesn't add up
 
ayushreddevil9 said:
Why are we negotiating the fee with Barca if the player isn't willing? Something doesn't add up
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My guess is Barcelona secretly (not) want to sell. And the two clubs are pretty much on same page for this deal. They however posture themselves in the public as not to piss FdJ off that he would refuse to move. Barcelona gave us permission to tap him up, so when Barcelona gave a final push with their bleeding heart after trying everything; he would move on and can be seen as good for all parties.
 
He's a decent back up option, but it would have to be a very fair fee.
 
Adam-Utd said:
He's a decent back up option, but it would have to be a very fair fee.
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Yeah, that’s my thoughts too.

What’s a 31 year old Kante worth? Probably £30m if fully healthy. But he’s not fully healthy and plays less than 50% of games. Therefore I wouldn’t go above £15m.
 
It would need to be peanuts, and it couldn't be the only signing for the midfield. It would be a poor decision. I honestly think it's too late for us to be signing him. As much as I like him.
 
Would find it difficult to see why we would sign Kante over Kamara considering the circumstances, Kate was obviously a much better player, but he isn't the same as he once was, and signing a 30+ year old who's on Pogba level wages is beyond ridiculous, at least Kamara would have resale value.

This is the same situation Arsenal found themselves in with Willian - that was hilarious, but us doing it would be even worse.
 
izec said:
Are we this desperate
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he would be a decent squad option aslong as he isn’t the only midfield signing. Use him wisely and keep him for the big games.. he would be good. Wouldn’t be expensive as hes in the last year of his contract. Hopefully we get a couple cheaper signings free or in the last year of their contract. We’re losing a fair few players so we do need numbers. Wouldn’t mind him and Eriksen.
 
Kante makes sense if we are playing the first team once a week away from the EL.
 
Love signing players 30+ who are injury prone. Thankfully it won't happen.
 
Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley are available too whilst we are at it.
 
As a Chelsea fan who has watched every single minute he has played he certainly has declined but not so much that I’d sell him to a direct rival. If his minutes are managed properly and he isn’t run into the ground he can still be a key player.

He may not be the absurdly unstoppable player he was a few years ago but if there’s a massive PL or CL game that you’re desperate to win Kante is still one of the first names Chelsea fans want to see on the team sheet. He is still very capable of exceptional performances, just not every single game like the Kante of a few years ago.
 
Orc said:
As a Chelsea fan who has watched every single minute he has played he certainly has declined but not so much that I’d sell him to a direct rival. If his minutes are managed properly and he isn’t run into the ground he can still be a key player.

He may not be the absurdly unstoppable player he was a few years ago but if there’s a massive PL or CL game that you’re desperate to win Kante is still one of the first names Chelsea fans want to see on the team sheet. He is still very capable of exceptional performances, just not every single game like the Kante of a few years ago.
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He can't be thought of as a starter next sesson. He isn't reliable enough for that, so yeah he'll be a squad player in rotation. Load managing him through the season.
 
Nah, his legs are gone. Certainly better options on the market.
 
We need depth and we also need to sign quite a few players this summer

He can be a good option at the right price and swap with Fred throughout the season.. might even teach Fred a thing or two

Sure he’s injury prone and older now but he’s PL proven.. we can offer him a 2+1 contract just to play it safe if anything

A good pre-season and good management can keep him well-prepared for crucial phases of the season
 
That Steinberg article is the biggest "nothingburger" i've ever read. It essentially states that Tuchel is smitten for him, they'd rather sell Jorginho than him, and the only link to MUFC is that we may be interested in a cut-price deal because of the contract and we need to get some cheap players.

That article reads like there's more chance of Jorginho to MUFC than Kante to MUFC :lol: :lol:
 
Red Company said:
We need depth and we also need to sign quite a few players this summer

He can be a good option at the right price and swap with Fred throughout the season.. might even teach Fred a thing or two

Sure he’s injury prone and older now but he’s PL proven.. we can offer him a 2+1 contract just to play it safe if anything

A good pre-season and good management can keep him well-prepared for crucial phases of the season
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legs are first to go and a DM without legs are useless. I'd rather see us sign a 23-24 year old punt for 20m-30m. He's got far more chances to succeed as either a first teamer or as a reserve. Also if he fails then we can recoup most of our money back.
 
Injuries are a huge concern and it could be a disaster

But wasn’t Pirlo the same age when AC Milan decided they didn’t need him and then Juventus signed him. Another club, role and way of playing could rejuvenate him
 
yumtum said:
Would find it difficult to see why we would sign Kante over Kamara considering the circumstances, Kate was obviously a much better player, but he isn't the same as he once was, and signing a 30+ year old who's on Pogba level wages is beyond ridiculous, at least Kamara would have resale value.

This is the same situation Arsenal found themselves in with Willian - that was hilarious, but us doing it would be even worse.
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Kamara deal with recent update doesn't seem like cheap. Resale value is tied to wage too, which in Kamala case, wouldn't be easy to move on other than he's doing at least decent. There is no guarantee Kamara wouldn't flop.

And Kamara's own decision is also a big part often being ignored. Joining Aston Villa by leaving Marseille (CL football), money has big influence as much as guaranteed game time.

Kante may not be the same player he was, but he's still very well capable of world class performances, which I yet to see from Kamara. Kamara development trajectory doesn't suggest he can achieve that level any time soon. Not that I am a fan of signing Kante. I just feel the hype around Kamara is just OTT.

Red Company said:
We need depth and we also need to sign quite a few players this summer

He can be a good option tat the right price and swap with Fred throughout the season.. might even teach Fred a thing or two

Sure he’s injury prone and older now but he’s PL proven.. we can offer him a 2+1 contract just to play it safe if anything

A good pre-season and good management can keep him well-prepared for crucial phases of the season
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No way he would accept 2+1. The reason is he can stay with Chelsea this season, then still easy enough to get guaranteed 2 year contract (or better with an optional year) on with decent sign on fee and wage. So very likely that Kante wants a 3+ year contract if he moves this summer. Very same reason I don't think it's realistic signing for us.
 
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Yes please, Kanté’s game intelligence and positioning is top notch and he’s show up McTominay for his complete inadequacy. Definitely worth another few years of him.
 
LawCharltonBest said:
Injuries are a huge concern and it could be a disaster

But wasn’t Pirlo the same age when AC Milan decided they didn’t need him and then Juventus signed him. Another club, role and way of playing could rejuvenate him
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Pirlo was never famed for being a high energy ball winner in the way Kante was though. The physical demands of the Premier League vs those of Serie A from 10+ years ago are also vastly different.

I don't think this will actually happen but if it did this would be like Matic all over again. We'd maybe get 12-18 months of Kante playing at a decent level before things go badly wrong. Kante wouldn't come cheap either so we might as well get a younger player in with some scope for improvement.
 
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