Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante’s injuries must be a concern for Graham Potter.
That is according to journalist Simon Phillips, who has shared a rather worrying statistic regarding the 2018 World Cup winner.
What’s the word?
The journalist believes that Kante’s injuries are showing no signs of letting up and that it is becoming a real issue for Chelsea.
The 31-year-old has been ruled out of action since mid-August, playing just twice this season, and it is far from a rare occurrence for the Frenchman.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Phillips said: “I looked at a stat the other day and Kante has missed 50 per cent of games that he could be available for in the last two seasons, so that’s a real problem and worry.”
A damning revelation
The latest revelation surrounding Kante makes for a damning one. That statistic from Phillips ought to be a real cause for concern for Chelsea and the player respectively, with Kante now into the final year of his contract at the club.
It reflects a sobering trend for the £290k-per-week Frenchman, who started 34 or more Premier League games in each of his first three campaigns at the club but managed no more than 24 in the subsequent three and has already missed five this term.
There is no doubt that Potter will want to include the France international in his plans. The 31-year-old is not the same player as the one we saw at Leicester City, which is a result of both Thomas Tuchel’s coaching and the respective system which saw him deployed in a midfield pairing.
As such, it required Kante to be more progressive, which he has over the last few months. You could see this through his haul of six goal contributions last term – the second-highest total of his Premier League career – with Chelsea’s number seven scoring two goals and providing four assists.
His underlying figures illustrate this as well, with his 3.19 shot-creating actions and 2.7 carries into the final third per game a sign of his attacking intent for the Blues.
As such, his presence in the midfield – although not a completely destructive one despite his reputation in this regard – is still huge for most clubs. No matter what system Potter is looking to deploy, the tactically flexible Kante will be able to fit, which the former Brighton manager will love.
It’s worth sticking with the “alien” – as Kante was vividly dubbed by Yahoo’s Shahan Ahmed due to the muscularity of his calves for now, although his injury record of late does not bode well, as Phillips has warned.
