Arsenal are reportedly interested in bringing experienced Premier League midfielder N'Golo Kante to the Emirates this summer.
Mikel Arteta is looking to strengthen his side as Arsenal try to push for a top-four finish this season, with another midfielder a priority after the signing of Fabio Viera earlier this summer. The likes of Youri Tielemans and Lucas Paqueta have been strongly linked, but according to Todo Fichajes, a deal for Kante could be completed in the next few days.
Kante has just one year left on his current deal at Chelsea with talks over a new contract yet to be had. Now 31-years-old, the Blues may be looking to sell the Frenchman whilst they can, if reports are to be believed.
READ MORE: Youri Tielemans drops major transfer hint to send Arsenal fans into frenzy as Edu weighs up bid
So, if Kante was to make the switch to north London in the summer, what sort of impact could he have on Arteta's side? Could he help push for a top four spot and potentially silverware?
We simulated the 2022/23 season with N'Golo Kante as an Arsenal player and this is what happened.
We 'signed' N'Golo Kante for Arsenal next season
To set up this simulation, we used the Football Manager 2022 editor to arrange for the French international to join Arteta's side at the start of the summer transfer window, using FM22 to run the simulation. Along with Kante, new signings Gabriel Jesus, Fabio Viera, Matt Turner and Marquinhos were also in the squad.
As we expected, the quality of Kante saw the Frenchman quickly become Arteta's most valuable player, with the Frenchman playing more games than anyone else at the Gunners. Over the course of the season, Kante made 49 appearances - starting all 38 Premier League games in that time.
Under Arteta, Kante was back to playing as a defensive midfielder - the position he thrived in at Leicester and his early years at Chelsea. In the double pivot, the 31-year-old was still able to drive forward and start attacks, backed up by his six goals and nine assists.
The midfielder averaged a rating of 7.41 in all competitions as he produced quality performances in the league, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. When compared to the rest of the Arsenal squad, Kante was the best player in the 2022/23 season.
Kante made the most appearances, averaged the best rating, grabbed the second most player of the match awards and the fourth most assists. He also had an incredible passing accuracy of 93%, with only Ben White and Gabriel (94%) higher.
At the end of the 2022/23 season, Football Manager 2022 put together an overall best Arsenal XI, based on performances, statistics and other metrics. This is what Gunners' best XI looked like at the end of the 2022/23 season as predicted by Football Manager 2022:
Full Arsenal best XI: (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale; Tomiyasu, Gabriel, White Tierney; Kante, Partey; Saka, Odegaard, Smith-Rowe; Jesus.
In the best XI, Kante was partnered by Thomas Partey, with Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny, Viera and January signing Isco all missing out - Albert Sambi Lokonga was loaned to Nottingham Forest in the winter transfer window. Emile Smith-Rowe and Gabriel Martinelli made a similar amount of appearances but it was the former who made the best XI, whilst William Saliba missed out to Gabriel and White in the centre back spots.
So, how did Arsenal perform in the league and cup competitions after signing Kante in the summer transfer window? Let's take a look.
Arsenal's results from the 2022-23 simulation:
Arsenal earned a top four finish in the Premier League with Kante in the squad, earning themselves a Champions League spot for the upcoming season. The addition of the Frenchman saw the Gunners improve whilst his former team Chelsea dropped down the table into fifth.
The Gunners were still way off a title challenge, finishing 25 points behind winners Man City and 11 points behind Man United in third, showing there is still much to improve to be considered one of the top teams in the league. After improving in the league and earning themselves a top four finish, Arsenal were able to go one better and win some silverware in the 2022/23 season.
Kante's addition to the side saw the Gunners beat Chelsea in the final of the Carabao Cup, with Eddie Nketiah coming off the bench to score twice and win the game in extra time.
Chelsea did get revenge though, beating Arsenal 2-1 in the semi-finals of the FA Cup before winning the cup. Arteta only saw the Europa League as a distraction in the simulation, with the Spanish manager naming weakened XI's as they went out in the group stages.
Overall, this Football Manager simulation predicts that if Arsenal were to sign N'Golo Kante, the Frenchman's addition could revitalise the Gunners midfield, with their gain being Chelsea's loss, sending Arteta's side ahead of the Blues in the league table. As well as being a constant in the starting XI, his addition saw Arsenal win a trophy, with his experience and longevity proving vital in the Gunners' successful season.
Would you like to see N'Golo Kante sign for Arsenal this summer? Let us know in the comments!
READ NEXT:
Arsenal news and transfers LIVE: All the latest updates and rumours from the Emirates
Arsenal door opened to Lucas Paqueta move by Lisandro Martinez snub as Edu assesses alternatives
Edu vindicated in £111.5m transfer decision as Arsenal’s search to strengthen continues
The obvious £29.6m Youri Tielemans alternative that Arsenal need after Lucas Paqueta move
Tielemans or Paqueta join squad, Odegaard named captain - Arsenal's best USA pre-season tour
