Chelsea confirmed the signing of Leicester midfielder N'Golo Kante yesterday afternoon, shortly before their pre-season friendly against Rapid Vienna. The club's new manager, Antonio Conte, has publicly admitted his delight at signing the Premier League title-winning midfielder into his ranks with the Blues.
Kante's signing a signal of intent from the Blues
The 25-year-old, who was a revelation last season following his £5.6m move from Ligue 1 side Caen, impressed critics and Foxes supporters alike with his consistent performances at a constantly high level. His excellent defensive contribution, as well as the countless number of interceptions and tackles he made, helped Leicester both defensively whilst easing the responsibility upon their attack-minded players, including Jamie Vardy and Player of the Year, Riyad Mahrez.
Kante, who featured for France at this year's European Championships, made 40 appearances for Claudio Ranieri's side and has firmly asserted himself as a definite choice for the national team ahead of the likes of Crystal Palace's Yohan Cabaye.
Kante happy about deal, as is Conte
Upon his signing, he said he's "so happy" to have signed for one of the "biggest clubs in Europe", which has meant his dream has "come true" on a personal level.
He's Chelsea's second summer signing after Belgian forward Michy Batshuayi joined midway through the Euros, and although Leicester were reluctant to sell, it was a club-record fee and they'll be looking for effective replacements going into the forthcoming campaign. As quoted by FourFourTwo, Conte said that he's "very, very happy" about the signing, not only because he's a good player technically, but has "fantastic stamina" - which is something that he likes his players to have.
"I think when you want to win you need these players - Kante, Matic - who work hard for the team. Kante can give a lot to Chelsea to enforce and so on."