N'Golo Kante | Off to Chelsea

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pocco said:
His job for Arsenal would be to break up play and distribute the ball 5 or 10 yards to the attackers. Unless Arsenal have 100% possession, he'll have his uses. He'd probably make his impact in the bigger games though and in Europe.

Having said all that, he's not that bad in an attacking sense as he is often a willing runner into the channels and is generally tidy in the final third. He's good under pressure on the ball, it's not like he's one of these players that falls to bits when they don't have time on the ball.
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If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
 
Would be a superb signing.

Shame Carrick will be 35 soon. Carrick-Kante would be a brilliant pairing.
 
After the second game where Albania did better than Romania to expose France unbalanced midfield more, I see the opinion getting more fair n regarding Kante. (The first game Romania forwards were isolated and cornered and Kante fulfilled his role and being praised as if the best midfield display in years).

This game Kante is very good in duel, however tactically there were holes that attacker, play maker can exploit. Matuidi was underwhelming both games in term creative, but people seem to not understand while he has played that many minutes. Matuidi is a safe option with the workrate to 1. help Kante press and recover the ball 2. cover the space/hole where Kante got drawn out by the attackers. Against these 2 teams with no so strong attackers, Matuidi looks pointless, and Kante seems to be the better of the 2. However, if France to meet a superior team in the later stage, then Matuidi role would be more appreciated while Kante job may be overwhelming. By then Kante would have the huge test at this deep lying role where tactical discipline would be more appreciated. Kante has not been truly tested in this respect for this role yet. Reminder: Kante has a role more like Matuidi for Leicester. Here in France shirt, he plays the Makelele role.

Not that I don't think Kante's worth a punt with the supposed release clause, I rather trust Mourinho to decide the formation, players we recruit than making club signings and ended up in "crowded in quantity but lacking in quality" situation in recent years. In all Mourinho's team, there is a sole deep lying midfielder. Then Mourinho build the team according to the attribute of this deep lying midfielder. Our best deep lying midfielders are Carrick and Bastian which is not a long term plan. They aren't reliable as starter. Kante is still unproven in this role. If we keep the club signing policy, hypothetically we sign Kante but with some miracle, we can recruit Verrati and Mickhi too. That means even with 3 supposed great signing, we still lack a midfielder who offers presence in midfield thus we're still stuck with giving Fellaini game time. Varetti is very competitively defensive so Kante may be less ideal to partner him in contrast to some like Javier Martinez, Thiago Motta... Mourinho may be able to play more attacking, but expecting him to run possession style with small and short players is a huge stretch. Mourinho was keen on Thiago Motta, Zouma, Essien and Khedira not only for energy and defensive attributes alone, but also for their presence. I left Matic out since Matic happens to be the deep lying midfielder which allows Mourinho to tweak the system.
 
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Oo0AahCantona said:
20m release clause gentleman.
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So what? Good price: Yes. Mourinho has plan for him: uncertain at the moment. Buy him for the sake of buying without Mourinho's acceptance: why we sacked LVG and hire Mourinho anyways? (LVG would be happy to take in club signings as long as we back him wih his own signing. While Mourinho clearly prefers the way United enabled manager to have full power in recruiting and selling players, to Chelsea and Real Madrid)
 
ti vu said:
So what? Good price: Yes. Mourinho has plan for him: uncertain at the moment. Buy him for the sake of buying without Mourinho's acceptance: why we sacked LVG and hire Mourinho anyways? (LVG would be happy to take in club signings as long as we back him wih his own signing. While Mourinho clearly prefers the way United enabled manager to have full power in recruiting and selling players, to Chelsea and Real Madrid)
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What on earth is this?
 
His passing for Leicester was amazing at times I thought. Not long passes but quick interchange passes keeping the ball moving forward and maintaining high tempo. Drives well with the ball as well. I don't think we NEED him but it would certainly be a nice addition. Would love to see him stay at Leicester again though
 
ti vu said:
Your point? So we should buy player without Mourinho's interest?
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You first state uncertainty over Mourinho's desire to sign Kante, and then proceed to keep writing sentences assuming that desire is non existent. Makes no sense whatsoever unless Mourinho has made comments regarding said lack of interest.
 
Geordopolous said:
His passing for Leicester was amazing at times I thought. Not long passes but quick interchange passes keeping the ball moving forward and maintaining high tempo. Drives well with the ball as well. I don't think we NEED him but it would certainly be a nice addition. Would love to see him stay at Leicester again though
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I think the issue is that people tend to dumb a player like him down to being useless on the ball, which he clearly isn't. Apart from having a terrific engine, he's also very capable at retaining possession and his first touch is very assured. It's not like Schneiderlin last season, who was a proper liability on the ball. The latter can show he's better than that this coming season but I think people often make the "destroyer" or "DM" sound like he's awful on the ball and wants to instantly let go of the ball as soon as he gets it.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
You first state uncertainty over Mourinho's desire to sign Kante, and then proceed to keep writing sentences assuming that desire is non existent. Makes no sense whatsoever unless Mourinho has made comments regarding said lack of interest.
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The post I quoted, suggested we should sign Kante due to his 20mil release clause alone. I am not against signing Kante if Mourinho shows interest (which is uncertain), hence the follow up sentences in response to that post.
 
ti vu said:
The post I quoted, suggested we should sign Kante because of his 20mil release clause alone. I am not against signing Kante if Mourinho shows interest (which is uncertain), hence the follow up sentences in response to that post.
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No it didn't.

Not sure where you get that from?

Had he said "Messi - 30 million release clause, guys!", would you assume that the release clause was the sole reason for which he wants us to sign the player?
 
amolbhatia50k said:
No it didn't.

Not sure where you get that from?

Had he said "Messi - 30 million release clause, guys!", would you assume that the release clause was the sole reason for which he wants us to sign the player?
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It is well known about this supposed release clause of Kante, no need to bring it up again.

The flow of discussion in the last few page is not about his price, or whether Kante is worth it. The discussion is mostly about his role, what he brings on the table. Then this guy reminded people Kante has 20 mil release clause with his post... So what did he mean? if not to kill the discussion with cheap price tag, just stuff it with no planning. The price tag was only sentence in his post! So what he means by the price tag? without any input about Kante's role, attributes that would fit into Mourinho's team if this transfer is on?
 
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Wayne's World said:
If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
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I agree with this. People have regularly referred to him as world class in this thread but to me he seems like a limited version of our own Darren Fletcher.

He's also not the sort of player we need at United. As the post I quoted suggests, sometimes we lose track of ourselves and assume that we need to use a very specific type of player in a position - in SAFs final two years we used to play vs 'elite' clubs with a midfield 2 of Giggs and Carrick (average age 36 at the time), Carrick - Scholes, Anderson - Cleverley, Fletcher - Jones etc.
 
ti vu said:
It is well known about this supposed release clause of Kante, no need to bring it up again.

The flow of discussion in the last few page is not about his price, or whether Kante is worth it. The discussion is mostly about his role, what he brings on the table. Then this guy reminded people Kante has 20 mil release clause with his post... So what did he mean? if not to kill the discussion with being cheap, just stuff it with no planning.
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Sorry, you don't decide what posters get to remind/notify people about. Might as well stick to deciding what content of your own posts are necessary.

What did he mean? Clearly, that Kante, being a very good footballer available for a good price, equals a great deal.

"No planning" - what the feck is that? You're the only defensive chap here who seems to be presupposing other people's arguments with little basis or reason. Give people a little more credit for their own capability of critical thinking, and you'll be better off for it.

Finally, a discussion regarding a potential signing is about a number of things - role, ability, personality, and indeed, value for money/price. If you want a thread with no discussion about the potential fee, start another thread.
 
VivaObertan said:
I agree with this. People have regularly referred to him as world class in this thread but to me he seems like a limited version of our own Darren Fletcher.

He's also not the sort of player we need at United. As the post I quoted suggests, sometimes we lose track of ourselves and assume that we need to use a very specific type of player in a position - in SAFs final two years we used to play vs 'elite' clubs with a midfield 2 of Giggs and Carrick (average age 36 at the time), Carrick - Scholes, Anderson - Cleverley, Fletcher - Jones etc.
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Not sure whether you really underrate Kante or wildly overrated Fletch.
 
Wayne's World said:
If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
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This is basically wrong to me. Football isn't just about skill. Even in the modern football I still find it enjoyable watching players who offers aggression like Kante. In fact what he did isn't as easy as players who show off their skill. Football needs both of these attribute not only skill and also not just work horse.
 
Varun said:
Not sure whether you really underrate Kante or wildly overrated Fletch.
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Fletcher is a very good one back in the days. But I find it amusing how people are comparing Kante with Schneiderlin sometimes.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Sorry, you don't decide what posters get to remind/notify people about. Might as well stick to deciding what content of your own posts are necessary.

What did he mean? Clearly, that Kante, being a very good footballer available for a good price, equals a great deal.

"No planning" - what the feck is that? You're the only defensive chap here who seems to be presupposing other people's arguments with little basis or reason. Give people a little more credit for their own capability of critical thinking, and you'll be better off for it.

Finally, a discussion regarding a potential signing is about a number of things - role, ability, personality, and indeed, value for money/price. If you want a thread with no discussion about the potential fee, start another thread.
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You're what you tried to paint me as. I did none of that in my original response to that guy post. If he can elaborate and refute my post then he should do. You called me on my response to that post, then being "defensive chap... for it" by assuming that guy's opinion!

The fee is already mentioned many time. This guy brought up the fee. I responded with fee doesn't matter if Mourinho doesn't sanction the transfer (can't find role for Kante) kind of post. What's wrong with that?
 
Mike09 said:
Fletcher is a very good one back in the days. But I find it amusing how people are comparing Kante with Schneiderlin sometimes.
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Yes, he was but he never touched Kante's heights of last season. Maybe the season where we lost to Barca and he got suspended for the finals at a stretch.
 
Wayne's World said:
If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
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The death of modern football bit is little exaggerated but I get where you are coming from. Most teams are using this kind of midfielder these days. Fergie used to go 451 in European matches and played Fletcher in a similar box to box role.

As for Kante, I do not see the use of him unless we are planning on replacing Schneiderlin with him. Schneiderlin may not be as good as him but he can do that job; both of them in the squad would be an overkill.

The type of midfielder you mention is exactly what this team needs. Besides Carrick, we do not have an elite passer/creator in this team. In hindsight, Fergie should have really gone all out for Modric before he moved to Madrid. Putting his faith in Ando and Cleverley was one of his biggest mistakes.

What we have now are ersatz versions of the type, and I don't even know if any of them are available. Verratti is the only one who has potential to be truly elite, but pricing him away from PSG is a seemingly impossible task. Our best hope is that Madrid go for Pogba freeing Kroos for us.

I would disappointed if we don't get a midfield passer this window. It should be a top priority.
 
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ti vu said:
You're what you tried to paint me as. I did none of that in my original response to that guy post. If he can elaborate and refute my post then he should do. You called me on my response to that post, then being "defensive chap... for it" by assuming that guy's opinion!
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Does it make sense that someone would want us to sign a player without rating said player?

ti vu said:
The fee is already mentioned many time. This guy brought up the fee. I responded with fee doesn't matter if Mourinho doesn't sanction the transfer (can't find role for Kante) kind of post. What's wrong with that?
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The fee is always relevant. Mourinho finding a role for, and rating Kante, is also relevant. Problem is, noone really knows what Mourinho thinks as of now. And neither has anyone implied we should bypass him and sign players behind his back.
 
Varun said:
Not sure whether you really underrate Kante or wildly overrated Fletch.
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Kante is slightly more athletic and explosive as a destroyer but Fletcher has better passing range and good finishing IMO.

I'm not saying he's bad, just that I would choose the more well-rounded Fletcher over the more limited Kante.
 
Wayne's World said:
If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
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This is a strange post. Are you annoyed that kante is getting recognition for his hard work? Also it's not like their weren't players like Kante when zidane and Riquelme were in their prime.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Does it make sense that someone would want us to sign a player without rating said player?


The fee is always relevant. Mourinho finding a role for, and rating Kante, is also relevant. Problem is, noone really knows what Mourinho thinks as of now. And neither has anyone implied we should bypass him and sign players behind his back.
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SAF bought Zaha knowing he's retiring. Moyes and LVG didn't rate Zaha. Herrera was club signing. Moyes was not sure hence the delay, LVG accepted Herrera, but kept shifting him around #10, #8, #6 role. Big question mark on Di Maria signing where Di Maria style, role, position does not fit LVG's philosophy shown at his previous clubs. Arguably Di Maria is similar to Welbeck and Nani to some extent and both LVG didn't rate => there are club signings where our 2 previous managers under some circumstances took in without a clear long term plan (we seem to fix the same problem again this time around!).

So hopefully, Mourinho is not being forced on with club signings. (Good) fee doesn't matter. We should sign only what the manager sees fit his plan. For example: Break the bank for Pogba if Mourinho sees him as the key to his formation for years to come... Again I am not against Kante signing if Mourinho wants him (great value).

We can rest the case here since we started going in circle. I already present my opinion.
 
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Wayne's World said:
If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
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What era does your definition of 'modern football' outline?

And, I really, really hope you understand the irony of your post.
 
VivaObertan said:
Kante is slightly more athletic and explosive as a destroyer but Fletcher has better passing range and good finishing IMO.

I'm not saying he's bad, just that I would choose the more well-rounded Fletcher over the more limited Kante.
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Alright, I disagree but it's subjective so we'll agree to disagree.
 
Wayne's World said:
If you ask me, Kante is one of the reasons of the death of modern football, He has very limited skill and isn't the best footballer in the world but he runs around the pitch like a work horse and gets credit for it.

You want to see the next great midfielders in the mould of Zidane, Xavi, Riquelme etc but instead your going to keep producing limited players like Kante and Matuidi in teams for the next couple of years. It's time like these where I really appreciate midfielders like Modric and Iniesta as they are a dying breed.
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Terrible post, terrible username, Terry Venables.
 
Bojan11 said:
Limited player. Wouldn't want him here. His passing will get found out at a top club when he's asked to do more than hit it over the top to Vardy.
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You evidently did not watch much of Leicester. His passing is not limited for his role.
Fortitude said:
What era does your definition of 'modern football' outline?

And, I really, really hope you understand the irony of your post.
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Well said.

Addressing the general discussion now, I don't see why people think Kante is limited. About his only weakness is his aerial presence. He is a good passer of the ball, his movement is brilliant, and he has a good long ball too. In an ideal midfield, he would not be the passer/playmaker. The jury is still out as to whether he can maintain his current level, but assuming he can, I do not see why anyone would not want him.
 
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Jose's makelele for united if he gets him. Kante,Henrikh,bailey,ibrahimovic and one quick right winger and we are set for next season .
 
Just offer him 200k\week and get Mou to convince him that this will be his only year out of the CL with United. This guy would be immense in Mou's 4-2-3-1 and would allow the front four to focus almost solely on attack, hell, we would even make Rooney function in a midfield two.
 
How is it possible that every time I watch him, he just seems to be better and better. Think I'm just always in awe at how good he is every damn game.
 
Can't imagine Mourinho not being interested in him honestly, so I fully expect us to go in for him. I think he'll choose us over anyone else in the league too. If someone from aboard comes in we might lose out.
 
VanGaalEra said:
He would be that quick RW.
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Dont think so.
I think he is the kind of player who offers a great "deal" and has hence been targeted. Its an opportunity that the club has taken rather than a target that was long scouted.
 
Have we been linked with this chap at all?

Getting in the following, would people be happy?

Ibra
Bailly
Mkhitaryan
Kante
Andre Gomes / someone better

There was quite a lot of stuff earlier in the summer about mourinho wanting to sort the spine out. Bailly and ibra are front and back. Nothing really in midfield so someone like kante could help us greatly.
 
Sunny Jim said:
Hes Makalele mk2
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I'm not sure he's as good defensively as Makelele who was just a wall infront of the back 4, but he is better on the ball I reckon.

Personally, I'd happily let Schneiderlin go to sign Kante.

But at the same time, if Schneiderlin can actually be as good as the caf hype made him out to be (not convinced as of now), then I suppose it's not a big miss.
 
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