Kante’s hamstring injury adding to Chelsea’s midfield conundrum
After the long-term absence of N’Golo Kante was confirmed by Chelsea last Tuesday ahead of their clash with Brentford, with the Frenchman needing surgery on his hamstring, it throws a spanner in the works of Chelsea’s midfield options for the season, and beyond. It also means that Kante will miss France’s 2022 World Cup campaign, a bitter blow for him personally.
Since Chelsea signed Kante from Leicester after the Foxes' 2016 title win, the Frenchman quickly established himself as one of the best central midfielders on the planet, playing a key role in helping Chelsea to domestic glory the following year, in which he was named “2017 Footballer of the Year” by the Football Writers' Association, before winning the FA Cup in 2018 and the Europa League in 2019. He played an average of 3,077 minutes per season for Chelsea in the Premier League in his first three seasons at the club, making 105 league appearances by the end of the 2018/19 season.
However, his minutes drastically decreased in the following season. In 2019/2020, he only made 22 league appearances and registered 1,733 minutes of action. This is purely as a result of injury, something that has severely hampered Kante over the last four campaigns. Over his last full three seasons, he has only averaged 1,885 league minutes for the Blues, a decrease of around 39% from his first three seasons. The latest injury for Kante leaves Chelsea with defensive issues to solve, particularly as Reece James is also out until after the World Cup for the Blues. At the time of writing, Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana are also out injured, but those two are more short-term than Kante and James.
Chelsea have been after a midfielder for a while, with Declan Rice’s name popping up several times, with the now West Ham captain, who was released by Chelsea as a youngster, having rejected several contract renewal approaches from the Hammers. With Kante set to miss the next four months of action, and his contract expiring next summer, it makes sense to let the 31-year-old leave on a free after seven years of service, and replace him with the former Chelsea academy product.
Along with Rice, Chelsea have been linked with Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, who has been excellent in the Bundesliga on the back of his 2020 arrival from Birmingham City. Bellingham has been a big part of Borussia Dortmund’s team and has played himself into a place in the England squad, bar any injury that would keep him out.
Chelsea’s midfield situation is something to keep your eye on though. We’ve mentioned Kante and the uncertainty surrounding his future, but Jorginho is also out of contract at the end of the season, and has been linked with a move to Juventus should an agreement to renew his contract not be confirmed.
This would leave Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as Chelsea's only senior central midfield options, the latter having emerged as a versatile option under Graham Potter, playing in the centre, and also on the right side in James’ absence. Carney Chukwemeka has also been featuring in the Chelsea first team team since his arrival from Aston Villa in the summer, coming off the bench in Chelsea's last two games against both Brentford and Manchester United, respectively.
However, should both Kante and Jorginho leave the club, there is a major gap to be filled. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has already had to replace members of his defence, as the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen allowed Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly to join the club. The January window poses an opportunity to bring in a short-term option, similar to Denis Zakaria, or even make a move for Rice.
With that being said, Kante’s future at Stamford Bridge is very uncertain, and the decline of once one of the best central midfielders in the world has been a sorry sight to watch over the last few seasons. There is no doubt Kante will leave Chelsea a fondly remembered player, especially after his immaculate performances to help Chelsea to win both the Premier League and Champions League across his seven seasons at the club.
Yet it's a sad decline of one of the most fearsome ball winners to have graced the Premier League with injuries beginning to impact both his minutes on the pitch and his form as a result. It may well be in Chelsea's best interests to begin planning for life without Kante.
