“He’s been giving the ball away a lot” – Darren Bent claims Chelsea star ‘hasn’t looked’ like his usual self recently

Former Premier League striker Darren Bent has insisted that Chelsea star N'Golo Kante has not been at his best recently.

Kante has been an integral player for Chelsea since joining them from Leicester City in 2016. The France international played a key role for Thomas Tuchel's side in their Champions League triumph last term, winning the Player of the Match award in the final.

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However, there have been concerns about the 30-year-old midfielder's form recently. Kante was sidelined for a couple of games due to COVID-19 in January. He featured in five matches for the Blues last month, but only started three of them.

Bent has now gone on to claim that the midfielder does not look like his usual self. The former Tottenham Hotspur striker insisted that the Frenchman has been giving the ball away quite frequently. He told talkSPORT [via The Chelsea Chronicle]:

“Kante, at the minute, he hasn’t looked like the Kante of old. He’s been giving the ball away a lot recently, which is not like him."

Despite Bent's claims, Kante provided two assists for the European champions last month. However, the Frenchman could not help Chelsea win any of the three Premier League games he started in.

Kante will hope to bounce back to his best when the Stamford Bridge outfit return to action against Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on 5th February.

With the Club World Cup and the Champions League Round of 16 on the horizon, Tuchel's side will be keen to see Kante regain his form soon.

Kante has Chelsea contract expiring in 2023

Thomas Tuchel's side are currently focused on resolving the contract situation of their key defenders. Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta are in the final six months of their deals with the club.

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The Blues now face the prospect of losing the trio for free at the end of the season. The London giants could be keen to avoid such a situation with Kante, who has his contract with the club running out in 2023.

About the author

Dakir is a European and Indian football journalist at Sportskeeda with an overall experience of 10 years. Holding a Master’s degree in Journalism & Mass Communication, and currently pursuing Master’s in Sports Journalism from Sheffield Hallam University, he is a seasoned football journalist who has interviewed the likes of former Liverpool star John Arne Riise, covered the entire 2022-23 Indian Super League season of the Kerala Blasters, and has delivered a seminar at an international conference held by St. Albert's College, Ernakulam.

Thanks to his extensive academic background in journalism, Dakir understands the importance of accuracy and spends a significant amount of time researching the subject. In today’s data-driven world of football, where players are perceived as machines, he prides himself amplify the voices of the people that make football the beautiful game that it is.

He started following football in 2013, and more specifically, Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool, and admires Jurgen Klopp for his untouched charisma and unmatched legacy. A perpetual underdog supporter, he is a fan of under-fire Reds forward Darwin Nunez and can’t wait for him to show the world what he truly is. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s iconic “corner taken quickly” corner assist for Divock Origi in Liverpool’s 4-0 UCL semifinal win over Barcelona left a lasting impact on him.

When not writing, Dakir enjoys indulging in his guilty pleasure - watching mass commercial movies.

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Edited by Sudeshna Banerjee