Esteban Cambiasso’s decision to depart Leicester City last month came as a blow to the Foxes, of that there is no doubt. The Argentine’s leadership qualities were one of the primary reasons Nigel Pearson’s side managed to stave off relegation following their Premier League return. Newly-appointed manager Claudio Ranieri was forced to accept Cambiasso’s decision not to extend his stay at the King Power Stadium, focusing his efforts on strengthening the midfield.
Leicester had already confirmed the captures of Shinji Okazaki, Christian Fuchs and the permanent acquisition of Robert Huth this summer, but it’s the signing of N’Golo Kanté that has excited supporters. In the wake of Cambiasso’s choice to leave, a tough-tackling enforcer was required to solidify the team in the middle of the park and in Kanté they have just that.
The young French midfielder was a stand out player for Caen in Ligue 1 last season. Following their promotion from Ligue 2, Patrice Garande’s side performed above expectations to secure a 13th-placed finish in France’s top tier last term. Kanté was key in the middle third, gaining a WhoScored rating of 7.36, better than any other Caen player. That return was also enough to feature in the top 25 players in the top division of French football last term.
While he does not possess the leadership qualities of Cambiasso, his all-energy displays for Caen were enough to convince Leicester to launch a bid for the 24-year-old. The injection of TV money from the recent Sky deal means English teams can flaunt their financial power and while Kanté had attracted interest from Europa League contenders Marseille, the French side were unable to compete with the Foxes, despite the offer of European football.
Kanté may have hankered for a move to L’OM, but ultimately money talks and, on Monday, secured his switch to the King Power Stadium. It goes without saying that Kanté is quite the coup for Leicester. The uncapped Frenchman was one of the finest midfielders in Ligue 1 last season, making more tackles (177) than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues. As one would expect, this quality of his game saw him develop a statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘tackling’.
Given one of Leicester’s strengths is ‘stealing the ball from the opposition’, Kanté will be a fine addition to the ranks, especially if Ranieri, as expected, opts for his favoured 4-4-2 formation. The midfielder boasts superior energy levels to cover plenty of ground in the two-man midfield partnership, something that Cambiasso could not have done. At 34 years of age, the former Inter star’s legs have begun to go and while he had the mental ability to be in the right place at the right time, he was far better-suited in orchestrating the midfield and relying on others to carry out the necessary dirty work.
In Pearson’s 3-5-2 formation, Cambiasso was afforded the luxury of two hard working midfielders alongside him while he sat deeper to control proceedings. In a 4-4-2 formation, though, Cambiasso would have been bypassed far too easily, heaping pressure on the defence. Kanté, though, can cover far more ground, winning possession more frequently than the player he will replace for Leicester. Indeed, only Maxime Gonalons (212) won possession in the midfield third more times than Kanté (208) in Ligue 1 last season.
However, what stands him in better stead than Cambiasso is Kanté’s ability to carry possession forward once he has won the ball from the opposition. Cambiasso when he was on the ball would often move possession sideways to a teammate, not necessarily a poor approach to adopt, but one that had the potential to slow down attacks. Kanté, while able to do this - he averaged more passes per league game (43) than any Caen player last season - is a capable performer on the ball and able to drive his team forward.
Kanté averaged more successful dribbles per game (1.5) than any other Caen player last season, a figure that was bettered only by Riyad Mahrez (2.6) and Jeffrey Schlupp (2) of all Leicester players in the Premier League. This helped the Leicester newboy register a team high of 5 league assists last term. Not only a tough tackling midfielder, Kanté boasts the creative qualities to really excel in England, utilising his strength to break through the opposition ranks and bring others into play.
While the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool have spent big on summer acquisitions, strengthening accordingly to secure their seasonal goals, Leicester have spent well within their means to make one of the best Premier League signings in the window. Kanté not only fills the void left by Cambiasso’s absence, but offers a further threat to this Leicester side from the middle of the park, improving their chances of avoiding the drop and suffering from the dreaded second-season syndrome.
Do you think Kanté can fill the void left in the Leicester midfield following Cambiasso's departure? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below
