Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante admits he was involved in transfer talks with Arsenal at the end of last season. Chelsea’s London rivals were impressed with Kante’s Premier League debut at Leicester.
Kante confessed that his performances in last year’s Premier League attracted the interest of several clubs. It was Kante’s debut season in England. However, his confident display in midfield was a contributing factor in Leicester winning the Premier League.
The Frenchman eventually moved to Chelsea for a fee of around £32million. However, Kante says that there were other offers on the table. One of those came from Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal. The player says that ultimately he felt a larger interest from Chelsea and this was the determining factor.
“With Arsenal there was an interest but not a big as other clubs,” Kante told reporters at Sky Sports.“That is why I didn’t go to Arsenal and went to Chelsea.”
Kante joined Leicester from Caen in France, but Marseille could have been his next destination. The midfielder admits he was attracted to the idea of playing for OM because of its history of promotiong some of France’s best players.
“I thought I had to go through a stage in France. I remember the generation of [Mamadou] Niang, [Franck] Ribery and [Samir] Nasri and it was a team that I liked, especially in the Champions League.”
Kante has been quick to make his mark at Chelsea. He has been involved in 29 of Chelsea’s 30 league games. Kante has often been labeled as the team’s “best player” and one of the best midfielders in England. The France international admitted he is progressing as a player, but doesn’t believe he is the league’s best. “There are a lot of good players. A lot of guys would deserve it on my team,” the midfielder told reporters.
Chelsea dominated this season in England and are seven points ahead of second place Tottenham. Kante is on his way to earning his second Premier League title in a row. Things are also looking up on the international level. The player made his debut for France in 2016. France coach Didier Deschamps recently called the player “one of world’s best“.
