N'Golo Kante Would Be a Move Totally at Odds with Real Madrid's Transfer Policy
Real Madrid being linked with fashionable names and players who have just enjoyed a standout campaign is nothing new, but that's about the only unsurprising aspect of the latest rumour regarding the Spanish side: Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante is the name in the frame, with Marca reporting the interest.
Indeed, Zinedine Zidane has hand-picked his compatriot, according to the report, with Real already monitoring the Foxes midfielder last term thanks to his all-action displays and headline-stealing performances. Now starring at UEFA Euro 2016 as France's first-choice holding midfielder, Kante is reported to have a £20 million release clause—per Daily Mail, among others—and after winning the Premier League last term he is a man in demand.
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There are plenty of reasons for Real Madrid to go for Kante—indeed for most big clubs to look at signing this tenacious ball-winner of Leicester's—but the idea of Real under Florentino Perez moving to sign Kante is completely against almost every aspect of the president's reign and could feasibly either send the side in a new direction or simply cause more confusion and debate over the so-called undroppables in the squad.
Galacticos
Perez is known, above all else, for one thing: his love of a big-name player signing for the world's largest team, often for huge fees.
Predictably—due to the nature of the transfer market, not just Real Madrid in this instance—those tend to be attackers. In recent seasons they have included Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez and most recently a return for Alvaro Morata after two seasons in Serie A with Juventus, though he could yet be immediately sold on.
Over Perez's reign, his preference for signing galacticos, as they have been named, has been predictable and reliable, often prioritising the offensive on-pitch and commercial off-pitch impact of individuals over the tactical requirements of the team and squad-building. In many cases, overinflated prices would be paid by Real simply to get their man, a show of strength both financially and in global appeal, which adds to the image of the club.
Kante is none of that.
He's primarily a destructive player—though not to say he doesn't contribute at all in the attacking half—and is not a huge name by any stretch. Though he may have played a key role in the title success of his team last season, it was very much his breakout campaign, and at 25 years of age he's hardly a player for the future. This is his level, this is his game. There's no huge development to be had, simply a utilisation of his talents and traits as they are, likely for a period of three to six years given his reliance on athleticism.
Technically he's sound, if not outstanding, so there's no huge reason to think that side of his game will deteriorate any time soon—but it reinforces the notion that Kante is not, by any stretch, a galactico, a game-winner, a player who can be decisive in key offensive moments to win Real Madrid matches.
Above all talk of his reputation and ability, he also doesn't fit the Real Madrid policy of paying huge money for star signings.
Last summer, not an outlandish one by Real's standards, saw them splurge €60 million on Danilo and Mateo Kovacic, who ended up playing a combined 4,000 minutes, much lower than might have been anticipated.
£20 million—less than €25 million—is a more than reasonable fee for Kante's services by comparison. It would be a sensible investment, but one which goes in line with Real Madrid's recent history? Not at all.
Roles and depth
It should be noted that going against the grain with regard to transfer policy is not a bad thing, nor should it be construed as a criticism. Indeed, for a side who have won La Liga just once in the last eight seasons, changing policy is exactly what is needed.
That said, their policies have shifted in some ways, yet remained the same in others. Just a few summers back, there was the great Spanish movement which saw Asier Illarramendi, Isco and Dani Carvajal brought in; Illarra barely had a look-in before being shunted back from whence he came, Isco played an ever-more peripheral role as last season went on, and the aforementioned Danilo was intended as a replacement for Carvajal.
All, though, were signed to fanfare and—in the Isco-Illarra cases—big fees. They were also signed without any great intent to build a squad with depth, simply bringing in the names of the summer, as was the case when signing Rodriguez. The Colombian is a true talent of the game, but six months prior to the FIFA 2014 World Cup and his starring role there, there was no indication or inclination of Real signing him. Toni Kroos, an attacking playmaker at the time, was signed concurrently, then shoehorned into a different role since.
It's indicative once more of Real's preference of having the players to fill the names on the shirts, not the roles on the pitch.
In the same area of concern, squad depth has long been a problem for Real, not in terms of pure numbers available but in keeping the level of the team the same regardless of who plays.
Swapping out James for Isco might not see the team dip, or Gonzalo Higuain for Karim Benzema a few seasons back, but what of Marcelo at left-back? His back-ups last term ended up being a rotating cast of Nacho, Alvaro Arbeloa and even Denis Cheryshev at one point. Benzema now has no natural No. 9 back-up, leading to teenage striker Borja Mayoral's introduction to the team in the second half of the season.
Lucas Vazquez and Casemiro's emergence gave some balance and depth to midfield, but the real issue with signing huge-name, massive-fee players is that they must play—and then few equally capable players are willing to bench-sit for an entire season.
Marca's Jose Felix Diaz's report suggested Casemiro, Real Madrid's current defensive midfield option, would be in line for competition with Kante's arrival, regarding Kante as a "Plan B" if Casemiro was injured and suggesting "there is always room for someone to do the midfield dirty work." That's precisely right, indeed is regarded as a necessity by most teams, but rarely if ever have Real purposely wanted two such players in the squad.
It took a managerial sacking and a run of shaky performances and results just to get one holding midfielder installed in the team last season; are there likely to be many fixtures which see Zidane tempted to play both Casemiro and Kante together?
Sitting at the base of midfield is the role Kante is playing now for France's 4-3-3 and is likely where Real Madrid see him operating, but it isn't where he has shone for Leicester in this breakthrough season.
The Foxes' 4-4-2 sees Kante paired in the middle as a double pivot, not a single sitter, allowing him to surge forward to make challenges in the opposition half, then break into space once the ball is won. He's not a sitter who will just tackle outside his own penalty area but instead a rampaging, aggressive destroyer who will set his team on the front foot as high upfield as possible.
If he's to be played in a similar role, it means another controlled midfielder sat alongside or behind him...which in turn throws another poser.
Same old question: Who makes way?
Kroos, Luka Modric, Casemiro, James, Isco, Kovacic. Somewhere, something has to give—because that's without even mentioning the BBC attack which are in place whenever possible, Benzema, Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kante as the holder means Casemiro, so important last season as Real won the Champions League, is marginalised once more. Depth in this area is critical, but there's a balance to strike for playing time, and a rotation in the centre of midfield is not something Zidane has really looked to do as yet—understandable, given the team's focus when he took over.
None of this is to say Kante wouldn't be a good signing. He would absolutely provide balance for the team and a platform for four attackers to shine, while if paired in midfield he could entice Zidane to shift to a 4-2-3-1, allowing a return of a No. 10 to the team. It would undoubtedly mean a shift in emphasis on a tactical level for Real Madrid and might be considered an astute signing for that reason alone.
Bringing Kante from Leicester would require a fundamental alteration in Real's usual policy in the market, and that in itself has knock-on repercussions with a demanding fanbase, a president who has staked his reputation on big signings and a team which has traditionally shoe-horned in as many offensive talents as possible.
