It has been a wild month for football. Whether you’re glued to your screen for the latest game or looking for a new place to bet on football, you can’t ignore the news around Chelsea Football Club and Manchester United—and the potential exchange that may happen between them.
According to Football.London, defensive midfielder N’Golo Kanté may transfer from Chelsea FC to Manchester United (Man Utd). While transfers aren’t unusual for football by any means, the three parties involved—Kanté, Chelsea FC, and Man Utd—make this one particularly salient. Read on to find out why this transfer might affect you as a fan.
Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/surprised-woman-portrait-shocked-6390054/
Who is N’Golo Kanté?
N’Golo Kanté was born to Malian parents in Paris, France on March 29, 1991. He started playing at 8 years old but was largely overlooked by scouters because of his size and play style. After being rejected by the Clairefontaine academy, he finally made it onto the reserve team of Boulogne and got to play in May of 2012. He currently plays for both Chelsea FC and the French national team.
Kanté is now approaching the end of his career. Most football players retire in their 30s; Kanté is 31 (as of this writing). He remains uncertain about his own future, but will likely stay on Chelsea FC for the remainder of the season. As we will soon see, this is music to the ears of Chelsea FC.
What Are the Clubs Like?
Now that we know about N’Golo Kanté, we can look at the club he is in now and one of the clubs that might try to buy him. This matters because both Man Utd and Chelsea FC have been in the news recently. However, the two have polar opposite reputations thanks to recent events.
Chelsea FC is currently third in the Premier League—respectable! Their match against Liverpool left everybody satisfied, which is something of a rarity. Even the YouTube comments on the match were overwhelmingly positive.
Chelsea FC’s manager Thomas Tuchel, however, is worried. Kanté is not the only player likely to leave the team next season. Many of their best players are also in their 30s. Certain clubs in Spain have expressed interest in some of them already.
Man Utd, on the other hand, is in a sorry state. Their most recent match with the Brighton Seagulls resulted in a 4-0 loss. The player ratings on 90mins.com were abysmal, with some members scoring as low as 1/10 on their scale. It’s one opinion at the end of the day, but unfortunately reflects the current sentiments around Man Utd.
We aren’t sure how much losing Kanté will hurt Chelsea. Yes, they lost to Liverpool, but it was a well-played match that could have been anybody’s game. The same is not the case for Man Utd, who may need all the help they can get after Brighton. No wonder Man Utd is under new management—and that new management is willing to snap up anyone they can.
What Does It Mean?
Realistically speaking, Kanté only has a few more years left on the football field. If he wants to do anything else in football, he has to do it soon. He could become a free agent as early as June 2023. After that, it’s unclear who, if anybody, will get Kanté. If Kanté himself has a plan, he hasn’t told anyone yet. But Tuchel may be willing to give his midfielder up due to time being of the essence. Erik ten Hag, the new manager of Man Utd, is itching to buy.
Conclusion
It’s hard to say what will happen with N’Golo Kanté. He will stay on Chelsea FC for the remainder of this season if his own words are any indication. But storm clouds are gathering above him. Chelsea FC may lose important players besides Kanté, all of whom would also be battling the clock. Meanwhile, Manchester United is looking for new blood after the loss to Brighton, and the new manager has shown interest in Kanté, among others.
