Transfer News: Boost for Tottenham Hotspur as Arsenal back out from N’Golo Kante pursuit
Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante has been linked with a potential move to Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the summer of 2023 due to his contract situation, as per Footmercato (h/t Football.London).
However, Ben Jacobs of CBS Sports has clarified that Arsenal did not discuss a move for Kante this summer nor are they keeping him on their radar. The 31-year-old has become injury-prone in the past couple of seasons and it is understandable why Chelsea are hesitant to offer him a new deal that extends his stay beyond next summer.
The Gunners, in particular, are a very young team and manager Mikel Arteta has preferred to base his team around young stars like William Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli, Martin Odegaard, and Bukayo Saka.
Hence, it was hard seeing the Spaniard eager to sign the former Leicester City superstar. However, another counterpoint can be made with regard to this logic which states that Kante could have brought experience to a young Arsenal team.
Nevertheless, if Jacobs’ claims are true, then Spurs have the initiative in the race for Kante – and we say race because it goes without saying that if Kante is a free agent, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner may well have no shortage of potential suitors.
That, of course, goes without saying. The example of Christian Eriksen moving to Manchester United as a 30-year-old free agent this summer and then becoming arguably their best player this season would certainly not have gone unnoticed by other teams.
If Kante is open for a subdued role in our first-team set-up then it’s a move that has many pros. He is an added pair of legs in the middle of the park, has experience winning major trophies with multiple teams, and is a tried and tested Premier League footballer.
However, Spurs must carefully assess the move from every angle. His fitness issues could come back to haunt his next potential club – if he does leave Stamford Bridge – but it won’t matter a lot if he isn’t a pinned starter, to begin with.
More Tottenham News:
- Adam Lallana is confident Brighton will deny Tottenham Hotspur all three points
- Former Tottenham Hotspur star Ledley King labels Eric Dier as England’s best centre-back in the last year
- Clement Lenglet explains what Tottenham Hotspur need to do to qualify for the Champions League knockouts
That logic, however, would be thrown out of the window when we take his weekly wages into the equation. He is believed to be earning £290,000-a-week at Chelsea, which is arguably a waste of money on the weeks that he spends on the treatment table.
