N'Golo Kante | Off to Chelsea

[Mark Pawelek]

What?

Don't understand me! Let me rephrase it. All this poncing about going after Neymar, Pogba, Ronnie, Benzema, Bale, Lewandowski is going nowhere because none of those guys is stupid enough to leave a strong team for a weak team. Instead of chasing the players you can't buy, chase the ones you can.

• Riyad Mahrez
• N'Golo Kanté
• Sofiane Boufal (TBH: give him a miss)
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic
• Virgil van Dijk

I thought this is why United appointed Mourinho : to play the percentages, and win.

 

[Truedevil]

Now Mourinho is here we can expect deals where one of the main prioritiy of a transfer is to not let a rival team sign a good player.

 

[liamp]

At 22m, a definite buy. I dunno if he's a Mourinho kind of player though. Conte would love him at Chelsea however.

I don't see why he wouldn't be a Mourinho kind of player. Ranieri bought Makelele but he came into his own under Mourinho. He's also used a pure DM with Inter, Real and his second stint with Chelsea.

 

[OohAahMartial]

Now Mourinho is here we can expect deals where one of the main prioritiy of a transfer is to not let a rival team sign a good player.

Agree with this. There are some players you should not allow your opposition to buy instead of you. If Roy Keane went to Arsenal or Chelsea instead of us history of the Premiership would be very different. Kante might help a team to dominate the league for many years. His role in a team is crucial to a league winning team. If Leicester had a more ordinary player there (eg. Fellaini or Schneiderlin) they might not have made it into the CL places.

 

[gajender]

Deleted

 

[jungledrums]

N'Golo Kanye would be wonderful addition to most of the teams but
we already have a similar player sharing same traits in Schneiderlin
who may not be at his level, but is quite capable of doing the same job
in a functional team.

Unless we are planning to jettison Schneiderlin after just one season
going for Kante would be overkill because we certainly don't two player
of the same ilk , what we do need is a creative midfielder who can help us
unlock packed defences which we face 80% of the time in the league. So
I would like us to prioritize the same.

I have read some of the posters mentioning Kante as defensive
Midfielder I believe they are missing the point , he is best suited to the
role of box to box midfielder with emphasis on the defensive side of the
game. His best attributes are his exceptional work rate and high energy which allow him to cover every inch of the pitch through out the 90 minutes
which would be completely negated if he is forced to play DM

Gonna be some cranky mods about the way you've formatted that post mate.
Addressing your post, I actually think he was phenomenal in the role he played for France versus Romania, and that was essentially as a 6. He still has license to press high and hard, it's not like his energy can't be utilised from defensive midfield.

 

[The Stain]

Gonna be some cranky mods about the way you've formatted that post mate.
Addressing your post, I actually think he was phenomenal in the role he played for France versus Romania, and that was essentially as a 6. He still has license to press high and hard, it's not like his energy can't be utilised from defensive midfield.

Yeah, to flip it around, i'm surprised not more people can see he'd be great as a 6. He had 1 goal and 4 assists in the PL. Not great numbers for a boxbox but then again Leicester didn't rely on the their central midfielders in attack. Let him do what he does best, win the bloody ball back and lay it off to more creative players.

 

[Fortitude]

N'Golo Kanye would be wonderful addition to most of the teams but
we already have a similar player sharing same traits in Schneiderlin
who may not be at his level, but is quite capable of doing the same job
in a functional team.

Unless we are planning to jettison Schneiderlin after just one season
going for Kante would be overkill because we certainly don't two player
of the same ilk , what we do need is a creative midfielder who can help us
unlock packed defences which we face 80% of the time in the league. So
I would like us to prioritize the same.

I have read some of the posters mentioning Kante as defensive
Midfielder I believe they are missing the point , he is best suited to the
role of box to box midfielder with emphasis on the defensive side of the
game. His best attributes are his exceptional work rate and high energy which allow him to cover every inch of the pitch through out the 90 minutes
which would be completely negated if he is forced to play DM

By that logic, we'd never buy anyone as there is always someone already in a squad who can 'do a job'. The question is: who is better at that job, and by how much is the gulf? Then you have to ask how much one over the other improves the team.

Kanté looks like a player who can come into a side and elevate it to new heights. Quite a few are now saying that a side with him in it, has to be a serious contender, perhaps the favourite, for a league title, at the very least, and that is something we have no evidence of with Schneiderlin no matter what you think of him as an individual.

As things stand, Kanté, imo, is better than Schneiderlin has ever been, the problem for the latter, however, isn't that, it's in the fact that the gap between them seems to be widening, and by the end of the Euros, Kanté could easily be deemed a world-class midfielder if he continues along the same line of performance. Even the most staunch supporters of Schneiderlin would then have to ask the objective question of who they would take for MUFC if both were available.

Another thing to consider is that Mourinho is a massively pragmatic coach when it comes to the big games and Europe. It is not then inconceivable to think he'd play both Schneiderlin and Kanté in a 4-3-3 with a highly creative AM ahead of them.

Kanté coming to United does not have to mean Schneiderlin getting the boot - reduced playing time? Sure, but he could still have a vital role to play over a long campaign played over four fronts that Mourinho will want to win.

If ever the term "no-brainer" were apt, it's with the signing of Kanté for any team not named Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

 

[Varun]

N'Golo Kanye would be wonderful addition to most of the teams but
we already have a similar player sharing same traits in Schneiderlin
who may not be at his level, but is quite capable of doing the same job
in a functional team.

Unless we are planning to jettison Schneiderlin after just one season
going for Kante would be overkill because we certainly don't two player
of the same ilk , what we do need is a creative midfielder who can help us
unlock packed defences which we face 80% of the time in the league. So
I would like us to prioritize the same.

I have read some of the posters mentioning Kante as defensive
Midfielder I believe they are missing the point , he is best suited to the
role of box to box midfielder with emphasis on the defensive side of the
game. His best attributes are his exceptional work rate and high energy which allow him to cover every inch of the pitch through out the 90 minutes
which would be completely negated if he is forced to play DM

Don't type it out like a poem.

 

[jungledrums]

Yeah, to flip it around, i'm surprised not more people can see he'd be great as a 6. He had 1 goal and 4 assists in the PL. Not great numbers for a boxbox but then again Leicester didn't rely on the their central midfielders in attack. Let him do what he does best, win the bloody ball back and lay it off to more creative players.

Agreed, and he'd probably be even better in a 4-2-3-1, as one of the two (which is likely what Mourinho will play if his past teams are anything to go by), rather than in a 4-3-3, as a single pivot.

 

[2 man midfield]

Don't understand me! Let me rephrase it. All this poncing about going after Neymar, Pogba, Ronnie, Benzema, Bale, Lewandowski is going nowhere because none of those guys is stupid enough to leave a strong team for a weak team. Instead of chasing the players you can't buy, chase the ones you can.

• Riyad Mahrez
• N'Golo Kanté
• Sofiane Boufal (TBH: give him a miss)
• Zlatan Ibrahimovic
• Virgil van Dijk

I thought this is why United appointed Mourinho : to play the percentages, and win.

Ok this makes a lot more sense, to be fair. I agree, i'm much more excited by Eric Bailly type signings.

 

[VII]

Deleted

Useless as they all quoted it.

Don't type it out like a poem.

To be fair it's much easier to read on a wide screen than turning my head right and left like watching a tennis match.

 

[zeekey]

Don't type it out like a poem.

I thought it was going to be, both relieved and disappointed simultaneously.

 

[Silverman]

Hopefully we are genuinely after him and not just bullshit journalism.

 

[EyeInTheSky]

He's not going to help our lack of creativity. The Leicester player that would help transform us is Mahrez.

Allot of Leicester's goals and counters are started by him , usually winning the ball back and triggering the counter attack. He will akso however drive us forward and give us the tenacity we are sorry lacking

 

[Silverman]

As mentioned already, I would play Kante alongside Schneiderlin and they would allow an attacking four ahead of them to create and score goals.

 

[Acole9]

I hope the paper talk is true and we are in for him, he'd be a cracking signing for us.

 

[Litch]

Simply the Best player I've seen in the Prem for years. With all the names being kicked around, this is the single most important transfer of the season.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

He'll probably be one of the most sought after players once the Euro's finishes, and rightly so.

 

[apotheosis]

As mentioned already, I would play Kante alongside Schneiderlin and they would allow an attacking four ahead of them to create and score goals.

Let's just get him bought, we can iron out the particulars once he is ours!

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Really hope Arsenal don't sign him.

Him and Xhaka.

 

[apotheosis]

I don't see why he wouldn't be a Mourinho kind of player. Ranieri bought Makelele but he came into his own under Mourinho. He's also used a pure DM with Inter, Real and his second stint with Chelsea.

Agreed, in the past Jose has made very good use of far more limited DM's than Kante. He is simply a player who would significantly improve any side. Every team needs at least one player in that role, and in my view, Kante currently looks like he would be a significant upgrade on any other DM option i am aware of. I think he is as close as we are going to get to a dominant Roy Keane type midfielder, and if we want to get right back to the top, then this is the exactly the type of player that would close the gap.

 

[DWelbz19]

As mentioned already, I would play Kante alongside Schneiderlin and they would allow an attacking four ahead of them to create and score goals.

For that to happen, we'd need a creative force at no.10; say an Özil type figure like Mourinho had at Madrid, and a really top class right winger. And that cannot realistically happen because Rooney usurps that first role always.

 

[the hea]

Looks good to me.

DDG
Darmian Smalling Baily Shaw
Schneiderlin Kante
Embolo Pogba Martial
Zlatan

​

 

[Norris]

I don't see why he wouldn't be a Mourinho kind of player. Ranieri bought Makelele but he came into his own under Mourinho. He's also used a pure DM with Inter, Real and his second stint with Chelsea.

Who did he use at Inter and RM ? I've got a very hazy memory.

 

[apotheosis]

For that to happen, we'd need a creative force at no.10; say an Özil type figure like Mourinho had at Madrid, and a really top class right winger. And that cannot realistically happen because Rooney usurps that first role always.

Ibra? He could certainly play behind Rashford, with Martial on the left, and Mata/Lingard or whoever on the right. However, if we were to play Ibra as a 9 as expected, and we were to buy that creative 10, then i would go for Payet. He is a Utd player in waiting i hope.

 

[apotheosis]

Who did he use at Inter and RM ? I've got a very hazy memory.

Cambiasso for DM, and i don't remember him really having a RW as such. Pandev, Balotelli and Eto'o used share flank duties around Milito in a 4-3-3, if i recall correctly.

 

[Norris]

Cambiasso for DM, and i don't remember him really having a RW as such. Pandev, Balotelli and Eto'o used share flank duties around Milito in a 4-3-3, if i recall correctly.

No I meant at Madrid, who was his DM ?

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

No I meant at Madrid, who was his DM ?

Alonso, partnered with Khedira.

 

[Norris]

Alonso, partnered with Khedira.

Aah, ok. Cheers.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

For that to happen, we'd need a creative force at no.10; say an Özil type figure like Mourinho had at Madrid, and a really top class right winger. And that cannot realistically happen because Rooney usurps that first role always.

----Hamez-----
Kante--Morgan

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Alonso, partnered with Khedira.

Didn't Lassana also play a lot under Mourinho?

I know Xabi was always starting...

 

[apotheosis]

No I meant at Madrid, who was his DM ?

 

[Champagne Football]

Looks good to me.

DDG
Darmian Smalling Baily Shaw
Schneiderlin Kante
Embolo Pogba Martial
Zlatan

​

Swap Schneiderlin for Rooney and Pogba for Mkhitaryan and you'd probably have a much more realistic looking starting XI next season

 

[Mike09]

I don't think Arsenal is in for Kante. They just signed Xhaka for a big money and it's not typical Wenger to sign another player at the same position when they have enough options. Unless if Wenger just hit his head and becomes a different person then yeh I can see him trying to sign Kante.

Kante is typical of Mourinho signing. Kante himself alone is more than enough to improve our midfield this season twice better. Destroyer who has unlimited stamina and cover all ground. Him with Carrick/Bastian and Rooney are looking good for midfield three.

 

[Valar Morghulis]

He also said, what is the idea of a designated midfielder. When you have Knate. He proves you dont need this modern nonsense and two Kante type players who can disrupt play and impose themselves on the game. Is what teams should have. Similar to Liecester where him and drinkwater to put shifts in would work out naturally that one would sit and the other push on as the situation arose, allowing the normal run of play more flexibility. Where a midfielder would both attack and hold not just hold or attack.

He is of course right and i am paraphrasing a little. But thats pretty much it in a nutshell.
He is the closest thing i have seen to Roy Keane in years. Not quite as dominant or demanding of his team mates. But he is very close in work rate, commitment and energy.

SO thats one, where can we find another Kante type?

Yeah that's exactly what was said, I'm glad I'm not the only one that seen it because I've an awful memory!

I don't know of anyone who can do as good a job in a two man midfield as Kante (Maybe Vidal could?), but if it was up to me and we were playing a similar 442 to Leicester, I'd partner Kante with Herrera, I think that'd be a fantastic partnership. I don't expect us to line up with a 442 next season at all though, I think we'll be seeing a 4231, so we could quite possibly see Kante and Schneiderlin paired together.

 

[stu_1992]

This would be a very good signing, I'm very much in favor of this. My only concern is if he couldn't replicate his form like Schneiderlin couldn't when he took a step up in a team. I guess it's slightly different though as Leicester just won the league. If we do make a midfield signing, someone is surely out the door too.

 

[murphs_law]

Yeah that's exactly what was said, I'm glad I'm not the only one that seen it because I've an awful memory!

I don't know of anyone who can do as good a job in a two man midfield as Kante (Maybe Vidal could?), but if it was up to me and we were playing a similar 442 to Leicester, I'd partner Kante with Herrera, I think that'd be a fantastic partnership. I don't expect us to line up with a 442 next season at all though, I think we'll be seeing a 4231, so we could quite possibly see Kante and Schneiderlin paired together.

Ahh yea i like Johnny pity he is retiring after the euros.

 

[Walters_19_MuFc]

Didn't Lassana also play a lot under Mourinho?

I know Xabi was always starting...

Sometimes, especially in a three, but Alonso was always the deepest midfielder.

 

[Valar Morghulis]

Ahh yea i like Johnny pity he is retiring after the euros.

Age catches up with us all sadly. Damien Duff is a good lad though and he talks a lot of sense, it seems he's being bred to take over from him. He doesn't have as good a footballing pedigree as Richie Sadler but sure...