5 players Chelsea cannot afford to lose this summer

#1 N'Golo Kante

France v Uruguay - Quarter Final - 2018 FIFA World Cup

When Chelsea signed Kante for £32 million after his Leicester City triumph, it was considered to be an astute signing by the club. However, two years down the line and the signing can be arguably considered as of the best bargains ever made.

Kante was exceptional during the 2016-17 campaign in which he deservedly won the PFA player of the year award. Although Chelsea stuttered in the next season, Kante was one of the few who should not be shouldering the blame for that.

One of the biggest dilemmas for Conte was to identify who can partner Kante in his midfield. Conte rotated his midfield with the likes of Fabregas, Drinkwater, Bakayoko and even Luiz. However, Kante was the only constant.

There is a reason people consider Kante as a player who can cover every inch of grass on the field because the French International has at times single-handedly controlled the entire midfield last season.

Since his main duty is to protect the back line, it would be fair to state his contribution in terms of his defensive work. Kante made 48 appearances last season for the club in which he made an average of 3.3 tackles per game. In his 6 champions league appearances for the club, his average increases to 3.7 per game.

His brilliant bursts of pace, intense tackling and excellent control of the ball provided the only calm in an otherwise ragged midfield of Chelsea last season. Hence, his departure from Chelsea to possibly PSG, who have made him their main target, could be the biggest blow to the club.