Antonio Conte has backed newly-crowned PFA Player of the Year N’Golo Kante to emerge as a leader at Chelsea in the coming seasons, though he admits that the France international has a different personality to departing captain John Terry.
Kante saw off competition from teammate Eden Hazard to claim the award in a ceremony on Sunday, with fellow professionals rewarding the 26-year-old for helping to propel Chelsea clear at the top of the Premier League after powering Leicester City to a fairytale title triumph last season.
Conte revealed last week that he is searching for new leaders within his Chelsea squad as he looks beyond a season that saw long-serving pair Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel depart in January, while Terry announced last week that he will end his illustrious 22-year stay at Stamford Bridge this summer.
And despite describing the soft-spoken Kante as a “silent leader,” Conte sees no reason why the France international cannot garner similar status at Chelsea over time.
Asked if Kante is more of a leader by example, Conte replied: “Yeah, but N’Golo, also, is young. He can improve in this aspect but, for sure, when you arrive in a great team like Chelsea and, for you, it’s the first season, it’s very difficult to try and speak and lead.
“I think he’s a silent leader, and a leader on the pitch by example. With a good example. He’s not the type of player who likes to speak [out]. He’s not John in terms of his personality. He’s different.
“But I think that, with years, he can improve on this aspect. And also I think these two seasons, his award will bring a lot of confidence in himself. I think in these years he can improve a lot in these aspects and become also a leader.”
Kante’s transformative impact on Chelsea since arriving in a £32 million deal from Leicester City last summer has marked him out as a great value signing within the context of Arsenal’s £35m purchase of Granit Xhaka, as well as Manchester United’s decision to splash out a world-record £89m on Paul Pogba.
Asked if Kante should be considered a bargain, Conte added: “N’Golo was a target, and we were very pleased to reach this target in our transfer market. I think we spent this money in the right way.
“And, also, it’s important to understand that, sometimes, you can see players with great talent, with great talent to score goals… these players are important.
“But if you trust in an idea of football and you trust in the team, it’s important to have a squad with good balance, with talent, but also with people like N’Golo — very strong to win the ball, to fight and work hard for the team.
“You must be pleased with this. When you try and build a team, you need a mix of talent, with people who work so hard and try and improve, to find the right mix.”
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