Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher believes Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger must be ruing missing out on N’Golo Kante last summer.
The French international opted against joining the Gunners to make the move to Chelsea from Leicester City instead, and speaking to Evening Standard, the former Liverpool defender says Wenger could have strengthened his defence hugely if he hadn’t hesitated over his signing:
“Conte has N’Golo Kante, a player Arsenal wanted last year but who joined Chelsea for a bargain £32m. He was one of Conte’s first signings, which shows how important he felt a player like that is to his system, whereas Wenger hesitated.”
Wenger revealed back in February that he tried to sign Kante on two occasions, when he was in France, as well as at Leicester City. Carragher says the fact that the Gunners didn’t strengthen their squad with the Frenchman last season, and their lack of improvement in defensive areas this campaign, will mean that Wenger’s side will continue to fall short in the Premier League.
Schalke defender Sead Kolasinac was signed on a free transfer in the summer, but the Bosnian left back was the only recruit in defensive positions with no centre half signed despite a permanent switch to a back three.