Arsenal: N’Golo Kante Refusal Frustrating And Yet Vindicated

Arsenal refused to sign N’Golo Kante due to reservations regarding his qualities at the highest level. While frustrating, it is an understandable decision.

Highlighting talent from the lower reaches of football and then being brave enough to acquire it is a difficult and tempestuous task, one that can bring great reward or great embarrassment, both of which Arsenal and Arsene Wenger have experienced in equal measure.

Related Story: Arsenal Vs Manchester City: 5 Key Players To Watch

Signing the likes of Denilson, Abou Diaby and more recently Andrey Arshavin show the difficulties in being accurate with such assessments. But there are also great players to be found also. Kolo Toure, Cesc Fabregas, Hector Bellerin are all examples of Wenger’s success in the lower echelons of the transfer window.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 observations from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park

However, there are also people that have been missed, the most recent of which to be revealed was N’Golo Kante. When playing at Caen in the second tier of French football, a special programme on 5 Live investigating the unlikely rise of the now Chelsea midfielder, unveiled the curtain on Arsenal’s misguided scouting of him when in France:

"“They looked closely. Giles Grimandi the French scout for Arsenal went to see him a lot of they just didn’t think he had enough to make it in their team. Then it was too late. And they tried to sign him last summer and he decided to go to Chelsea. It’s a weird one, I don’t know why bigger clubs were there when he was at Caen because it was so obvious.”"

That is undoubtedly a sad revelation, given the success that Kante has had since joining the Premier League – he is set to be the first player since Eric Cantona to win successive titles with different teams, assuming that Chelsea make hay on their significant advantage – and the complimentary skills that he boasts with a midfield that are often lacking the defensive nous and coverage abilities that Kante boasts.

However, it is still difficult to blame Giles Grimandi, the Gunners’ primary scout in the French leagues, and Wenger for spurning the opportunity to sign Kante when he ploughed his trade in the second French division. It is a significant jump from that level to the Premier League. To project the success of a player at that standard at the top tier of English football is no easy task.

Next: Arsenal Vs Manchester City: Predicted Starting XI

Kante would have been a sensational addition for the North London side. Unfortunately, that never came to pass. But Wenger, Grimandi and the club should not be heavily criticised for failing to sign him when they had the chance.