‘He even intercepts awards’ – Twitter reacts as Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante named Player of the Year

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N’Golo Kante has been announced as the winner of the PFA Player of the Year award after what has been an excellent season for the Frenchman. He signed for Chelsea last summer after an incredible debut season in the Premier League that saw him play a part in a historical title win for Leicester City. Although the majority of the squad decided to stay at the King Power Stadium, the French international opted to join the Blues and he is now closing in on his second Premier League title.

The difference between the faltering Chelsea side of last season and the unstoppable force that they have become under Antonio Conte is huge. Kante is not the only reason for that, but he has certainly played his part. His aggression and work rate have allowed the Blues to change to a two-man central midfield without losing control of any game.

This season, the 26-year-old has averaged 5.9 ball recoveries per game, which is down from the 8.9 ball recoveries that he managed as a Leicester player. However, that is due to Chelsea dominating matches in comparison to the Foxes who preferred to sit deep and counter-attack. Kante is equally as important to Chelsea as he was to Leicester. There is no better player at winning the ball back in the opposition half than N’Golo Kante.

In possession, the midfielder has vastly improved since his move to the capital. He now averages 61.2 passes per game, a huge increase from the 39.2 he managed with Leicester. At Stamford Bridge, he is a bigger part of their build-up play and his ball skills have developed as a result.

It is unusual for a defensive midfielder to win the PFA Player of the Year award, but it is richly deserved on this occasion. The Frenchman has played only two seasons in the Premier League and he is likely to win the title in both of them. That is a remarkable achievement and underlines the value that he adds to any team he is a part of.

The other nominees have had great seasons, but none of them have displayed the consistency that Kante has shown. It is difficult to quantify his influence on a team with statistics as a lot of what he does can’t be measured in basic terms. Everybody looks at the goals and assists for a player, but few dig deeper into a player’s overall contribution.

This was an award voted for by players and it is evident that the 26-year-old is highly respected among his peers.

Here is how Twitter reacted to N’Golo Kante winning the PFA Player of the Year award:

https://twitter.com/KokeNChill/status/856258427781341184

Kante’s ball winning skills weren’t forgotten as many reacted to the news:

https://twitter.com/TheCFCFansForum/status/856255234779303936

https://twitter.com/MrCraigJones/status/856264983977619456

It does look like Kante made the right decision to leave Leicester:

Finally, the player himself has his say:

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