PFA Player of the Year: Did N’Golo Kante really deserve the award?

1) N’Golo Kante

Incredible. That is the only word to describe Kante’s performances in the Premier League across the past two years.

He is an astonishing footballer who truly deserved to pick up the PFA Player of the Year award.

If anything, Kante was underappreciated last year. Many believed Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy were the catalysts for Leicester City’s astonishing title-winning season, and it was the former who was awarded the Player of the Year award.

But it should have been Kante.

This season he was rewarded with a big-money move to Chelsea, and he has completely transformed their fortunes. Last year, they struggled massively as they could only muster an extremely poor 10th place finish. With Kante in the team, they look set to win the league and have also reached the final of the FA Cup.

The Frenchman may only be 5′ 6″, but despite his size, he is a dominating presence on the field. His work rate in the middle of the park means he consistently wins the midfield battles, and he has thrived under the guidance of manager Antonio Conte. Despite only one goal and one assist, it is his contribution in defence which has been incredible.

The former Leicester man features in a number of categories: He’s fifth for passes, sixth for touches, second for tackles with 110 and seventh for interceptions with 72.

His contribution in both attack and defence is remarkable and he has established himself as one of the world’s best midfielders. Kante is truly irreplaceable and he is a deserved winner of the PFA Player of the Year award.