Insider: Chelsea set to play ‘hardball’ with N’Golo Kante after ‘massive’ update
Chelsea can afford to play “hardball” with N’Golo Kante over a new contract because of his poor injury record.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Kante has not featured for Chelsea since the opening two Premier League games and is out of contract in the summer.
The 31-year-old will now miss the World Cup after undergoing surgery, putting his future in doubt.
As quoted by club media earlier on Friday (21 October), Graham Potter suggested they will address his future when he returns to fitness.
“Without a shadow of a doubt they will look at his injury record and his availability rate will play a massive part in terms of what Chelsea are negotiating,” Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.
“The harsh reality of the situation is that since the 2019-20 season, we have a player who has started just over half of Chelsea’s Premier League games, 54 per cent, I think it is. When you factor in this latest injury that could well drop below half.
“From the club’s standpoint, if you are looking at it purely from an investment perspective, the player and his agents will have certain demands, so you are weighing it up with what the player can deliver.
“That’s where the disparity comes along. Kante will still feel he deserves a longer length contract with a certain salary based on what he has done in the past.
“But Chelsea look at the here and now and think ‘Are we prepared to give this player x amount on the understanding that there is no expectation for him to play more than half the games? We’ve got to take those risks on board.’
“These problems have been going on for long enough now for it to be a big worry.
“The new owners are a factor too. Under Abramovich, they have that relationship where you’ve been through the good times. There is that tendency to give the benefit of the doubt.
“These new owners haven’t necessarily formed those strong bonds. They can afford to be clinical in their demands in negotiations and play hardball. The performance outputs and the availability rates don’t lie.”
In other news, a finance guru has claimed Chelsea are set to rip up the rulebook amid a world-record £1billion claim.