'A joke': Gianfranco Zola admits player who left Chelsea in the summer made him laugh he was so good
Gianfranco Zola has waxed lyrical about the true brilliance of former Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.
N’Golo Kante, 32, left Chelsea in the summer before the start of the season. He did so as a true Blues legend, though.
The French midfielder achieved so much success during seven years at Stamford Bridge, winning six major pieces of silverware with the club.
It’s unlikely that Chelsea are going to find another player like him anytime soon!
Gianfranco Zola in awe
Gianfranco Zola, who’s another Blues icon, got the opportunity to coach Kante when he worked as Chelsea’s assistant boss under Maurizio Sarri in the 2018/19 season.
He’s explained that the diminutive box-to-box midfielder made him him laugh he was so good.
“I can speak all day about him. He was a joke,” Zola told The Obi One Podcast.
“He was a joke because it was impossible to see anybody running so much at high intensity speed. The high intensity runs he used to make he was double everyone in the Premier League. You cannot run at high speed for such a long time. This guy was the double of everyone. He was unbelievable.
“Sometimes we used to laugh on the bench because we couldn’t believe he was defending and getting the ball, and all of a sudden he was attacking on the other end.”
N’Golo Kante in his peak was a joke
We agree that it was quite baffling watching Kante goes about his business in Chelsea colours. Unfortunately, he now plays his football in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad.
Many players have been applauded over the years for their work off the ball, but has anyone else ever covered as much ground as Kante with his intensity and intelligence? We’re struggling to think of many that can match him stride for stride!
Speaking via the club’s official website last month, 22-year-old Blues midfielder Moises Caicedo shared that Kante’s a player he’s looked up to in the past.
There’s a lot to admire about Moises Caicedo’s physical and technical attributes, so he should definitely be closely studying footage of a roaming Kante for inspiration.
There’s no doubt that Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino needs a top tier midfield to get this team back competing at the top again.
from Breaking Chelsea News and Updates - The Chelsea Chronicle https://ift.tt/NjLeMQR
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