EPL 2016/17: Kante says he turned down Mourinho and United for Chelsea
N’Golo Kante, the Frenchman has revealed how he was wooed by Mourinho over the summer to join Manchester United. Speaking of the call between himself and Mourinho, Kante said that he was amazed on receiving the phone call.
The Frenchman has excelled ever since he was introduced to the Premier League. Kante was one of the lynchpins of the Leicester team which went on to win the title and was heavily pursued by leading clubs this summer, while on duty with France.
Speaking to The Sun, Kante said, “It was amazing to have Mourinho call me, even though I’d been warned before how he would appeal to me”. With transfer talks already underway at that point of time between Leicester and Chelsea, the midfielder moved to the London club.
The current Chelsea star also had words of praise for his former team mate Riyad Mahrez, praising the technical prowess that he possesses which makes him standout from others.
After a tumultuous couple of seasons, Mourinho arrived this summer and was reportedly keen to conduct his business early and had identified Kante as one of the targets required at Old Trafford. The holding midfielder further revealed that speaking to Mourinho was an amazing experience, but he had a “good feeling” with Antonio Conte, which convinced him in joining the London-based club.
Conte was appointed this summer after stepping down from his role as the Italian coach. The Italian has looked to strengthen the defensive side of the squad over the summer. Apart from signing Kante, the former Bianconneri coach has also brought Marcos Alonso from Fiorentina and David Luiz from PSG.
Kante who is only 25 and believes that he can become a better player given the personnel in the dressing room, who are all stars in their own right. Having displaced Fabregas from the starting line-up, Kante believes that he will have to improve his game further if he has to continue in the starting line-up.
The French midfielder has been praised for his relentless drive and stamina on the pitch.
Chelsea paid around £32 Million for the midfielder to bring him to Chelsea from Leicester and their Italian manager is impressed with the midfielders tackling and interception abilities. At the time of signing, Kante said that it was “a dream come true” for him to play for one of the biggest clubs in Europe.
The transfer represented a profit of more than £24 million for Leicester, who bought him from Caen last year for £5.6million.