Nemanja Matic believes that N'Golo Kante is even better than Claude Makelele in the role of Chelsea's midfield destroyer, and admits that a conversation with incoming head coach Antonio Conte convinced him to stay at Stamford Bridge this summer.
Signed from Premier League champions Leicester City in a £30 million deal in July, Kante has immediately established himself as a key figure at the base of Conte's midfield behind Matic and Brazilian playmaker Oscar, earning special praise for his dominating display in a 3-0 win over Burnley last month.
Comparisons have already been made between the tireless 25-year-old and Makelele, who arrived at Stamford Bridge from Real Madrid in the summer of 2003 and provided the foundation for a Chelsea team that set Premier League records for fewest goals conceded (15) and most clean sheets kept (25) in a season en route to claiming back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.