Arsenal handed Frank Lampard his sixth straight loss as Chelsea interim boss. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Speaking in the press conference ahead of the next league game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has decided not to comment on what the future of midfielder N’Golo Kante holds like at the club.
The Frenchman’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires this summer, with no agreement on an extension yet. Things might have become complicated due to the sacking of Graham Potter a few days ago.
Although Lampard is here, the club has appointed him on an interim basis. So, the decision of whether or not to extend Kante’s contract may rest on the manager who will be appointed in the summer.
Since his role is not a permanent one, it was right of Lampard not to comment on this topic. Here’s what he said (h/t Football.London):
“I’ll stay away from that part [future of Kante], that’s for the club and N’Golo to talk about. Having worked with N’Golo before, he’s an incredible player, one of the best I’ve been fortunate enough to work with. I know the positives of having him and the negatives of not because in my first season here we missed him for some big periods.
“When we had him, the impact of him as an individual is very clear. Off the back of a four-month injury we have to manage him. When you have N’Golo fit he is clearly one of the best midfielders in the world.”
Having missed a large portion of the season due to a serious hamstring injury suffered against Tottenham Hotspur back in August, it was a welcome sight to see the 32-year-old play against Liverpool and Real Madrid.
His injury record in the last couple of years has been poor though. Since the start of last season, the 2018 World Cup winner has missed 50 games due to injuries. That is a lot for a player who is such a key part of the makeup of a football team.
The new manager, whoever it be, will have a big decision to make regarding Kante’s future. Based on quality, the Frenchman is second to none in midfield. However, quality is nothing without availability in this game.
If we look at it objectively, the sensible decision would be to offer him a small contract with incentives to get bigger if he plays a certain number of games next season.
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