Why Al-Ittihad fans will embrace unique midfield master N’Golo Kante

N’Golo Kante is a different kind of world-class talent heading to Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo can do almost anything with the ball at his feet and has a penchant for the spectacular. Karim Benzema scores goals and has years of experience in finding the target, especially when the stakes are high, and that always gets fans on their feet.

Kante has a different set of skills. As a box-to-box player, the French World Cup winner has arguably been the best on the planet in his position in recent years, as Chelsea fans know better than most.

He was loved at Stamford Bridge, and new coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is a big admirer of the player and tried to sign him for Paris Saint-Germain, will not be happy at having to manage without one of the best in the business.

Al-Ittihad fans should celebrate this move. One of the most successful defensive midfielders in the history of the game is now joining his fellow French star Benzema at the newly crowned champions in Jeddah.

Where is kante ?#WelcomeBox2Box pic.twitter.com/IvYl2zZ2E9

— Ittihad Club (@ittihad_en) June 21, 2023

They say in football that you should build from a position of strength, and there is no doubt that the Tigers are doing just that. Kante may not always make the headlines, but he does have a habit of making teams tick.

The likes of Thomas Tuchel and Frank Lampard may have asked themselves whether Chelsea’s season, which saw the London team finish in a disappointing 12th place in the Premier League, would have been different had the 32-year-old not missed most of it with a hamstring injury.

Kante only played seven games.

“I think he is our key, key, key player,” said Tuchel. “But key, key, key players need to be on the pitch, and if he plays only