N’Golo Kante was at the centre of a bizarre stat during Chelsea’s clash with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Chelsea’s midfielder has been out through a hamstring injury for much of the season, but made his return from the substitutes bench against Everton and, despite being 32-years-old, remains a key part of the Blues setup.
Therefore, it was little surprise when he was named in the starting lineup for the mammoth clash against Los Blancos, with the Champions League the only real thing that the Blues have left to play for this season, with the west London side currently with 1 win in five Premier League games and destined to finish in a mediocre mid-table spot.
But, in doing so, he became the owner of a bizarre stat.
Named in the starting XI by Frank Lampard, it means that the defender has now made his last four appearances under four different Chelsea managers, with his appearance against Aston Villa having come under temporary boss Bruno Saltor, while his appearance at the beginning of the season came under Thomas Tuchel, who departed in September.
N’Golo Kante starts.
That means his last four appearances for Chelsea will have come under four different managers: Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Saltor and Frank Lampard.
— James Benge (@jamesbenge) April 12, 2023
Kante’s last four appearances for Chelsea (manager):
Liverpool (Bruno)
Aston Villa (Graham Potter)
Tottenham (Thomas Tuchel)
The Frenchman’s contract due to expire this summer and no agreement has been reached about a potential stay. However, the expectation is that he will remain in west London with the Blues beyond his current deal, signing a new one before the end of the campaign.
His presence will not prevent Chelsea strengthening, however, with midfield reinforcements expected in the transfer window.
