Arsenal skipper Laurent Koscielny has said that his national team compatriot and inter-city rival N’Golo Kante is the best player in the Premier League this season.
Kante is destined to lift the another Premier League crown this season as his new team, Chelsea, is enjoying their stay on the top of the log. After surpassing every other opponent in the league last season, the Frenchman continued his fine form under Conte and has become a vital cog in the Italian’s blueprint.
While Kante is praised for his brilliant reading of the situations, he is equally adept at initiating the attacks. Koscielny, on his part, has endured a mixed season yet again as his side are struggling on the sixth spot and are in danger of missing out on the top four. In the midst of this, the Gunner’s skipper has praised his compatriot by saying that the midfielder is now the best player in the entire top flight.
“For me he is the best player of the championship,” Koscielny told a news conference ahead of Les Bleus’ World Cup qualifier against Luxembourg.
“He had the aptitude to adapt in his new club, he had a difficult first month but since the loss to Arsenal, he has progressed enormously.
“When you have a player like that in midfield, who gets a lot of balls back…
“He knows what he can and cannot do. He harasses his opponents and gives the ball to his offensive players.”
Koscielny also praised his manager Arsene Wenger, who is in the middle of a heavy criticism. A majority of the fans want Wenger to quit, but the French gaffer is reportedly close to signing a new two-year deal with the club. The defender said that the players are equally at fault for their slip this season.
“He is a very important one in my career, he shaped me as a player and as a man,” the defender said.
“We are in a complicated situation but it is not only his responsibility. These are the players on the field. He prepares us all week but we have to do more to have the desired results.”