N'Golo Kante remains the undisputed titan of the engine room; a footballer whose mobility bordered on the extraterrestrial. While the lazy and draining footballing humour clichés often suggest he was in two places simultaneously, the reality was far more profound: he simply occupied the right space with a frequency that defied logic.
The Frenchman embodied the quiet maverick dichotomy: a diminutive, understated figure who fundamentally altered the expectations of a defensive midfielder. Even now, in an era of hyper-athleticism as well as dynamism, no contemporary has successfully replicated that unique, kinetic alchemy at elite level.
N'golo Kante's Leicester City transfer revelations
​The aspects surrounding Kante's departure from Leicester City still sting for a fan base that adored him. While supporters initially recoiled at his exit, there was an eventual, somber understanding regarding the oversight of his dubious release clause.
In hindsight, that contract slip was the first real 'red flag' of the King Power era. A harbinger of modern malaise where the pitch now feels littered with little red warnings. To briefly digress, today's LCFC faces a regressive landscape defined by unsatisfactory ownership and financial turbulence that feels worlds away from the sun-drenched miracles of 2016.
Alternate history
​One cannot help but wonder how history might have shifted had Kante chosen the red of North London. For all his intellectual rigor and tactical foresight, Arsene Wenger famously presided over several transfer market clangers. A fallibility even shared by the formidable Sir Alex Ferguson when at Manchester United.
"With Arsenal there was an interest but not a big as other clubs. That is why I didn't go to Arsenal and went to Chelsea"N'golo Kante - Sky Sports
Wenger's hesitation over the eventual World Cup winner allowed a generational talent to slip through his fingers, paving the way for the inevitable. Chelsea, ever the ruthless opportunists, swooped in with a £32 million bid to secure the Frenchman.
At Stamford Bridge, Kante didn't just win: he became the heartbeat of a new dynasty. This left the East Midlands side wondering what might have been had they simply closed the door.