He is known for his work rate and defensive acumen. Kante is widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation. After that he joined Ligue 2 side Caen on a free transfer, finished third and won promotion to Ligue 1.
He stayed with the club for one more year, where he helped lead the team to a mid-table finish. After seven seasons with Chelsea, he left on a free transfer to Saudi club Al-Ittihad during the summer of He replaced Virgile Reset for the final 11 minutes. During the β13 season , he played in the third-tier Championnat National , missing only one league game. In , he joined Ligue 2 side Caen and played all 38 games in his first season as they came third in Ligue 2, earning them promotion to Ligue 1.
In his second match on 9 August, he scored his first goal to equalise in a 2β1 win at Laval ; [ 18 ] he levelled again with his other goal of the campaign on 11 April , in a 3β2 win at Istres. On 7 November, he scored his first Premier League goal, in a 2β1 home win against Watford. He earned much praise and many plaudits for his consistently impressive displays for Leicester, and was widely considered to be a major factor in the club's excellent form as they went on to win the β16 Premier League , consistently making a high number of tackles and interceptions.
Despite picking up a yellow card in the first three minutes of the game, he shone as the game went on, to help Chelsea to a 2β1 victory. BBC Sport awarded him the man of the match award. He signed a new five-year contract at Chelsea on 23 November , making him Chelsea's highest-paid player.
The score was tied 2β2 on aggregate at the end of 90 minutes, with Chelsea winning the shootout 4β2. The club supported his stance, even if he would miss the rest of the season.
