He conquered Europe, shone with the Blues, and imposed himself as a pillar in Saudi Arabia. At 34, N'Golo Kanté, the tireless and discreet midfielder is preparing to add a new prestigious line to his CV: a participation in the long -awaited club world cup. Already winner of an intercontinental trophy in 2022 with Chelsea, the French will again rub the world gratin. But while we would expect to see him defend the colors of his current club, Al-Ittihad, an assembly at least surprising is emerging, involving an express loan to another Saudi cador. A dramatic stroke that is already talking.
Kanté, a shock loan from a rival to shine at the World Cup!
This is the loose bomb this Tuesday afternoon: N'Golo Kanté should join Al-Hilal For a one -month freelance, specifically to compete in the World Cup! According to journalist David Ornstein from The Athletic, discussions are very advanced for this short -term loan. Al-Hilal, the only Saudi representative at the tournament and who will face Real Madrid from the start, desperately seeks to strengthen his environment with an experienced profile. Kanté, still influential despite his recent absence in the France team, and major craftsman of the double championship-cup with Al-Ittihad, represents a target of choice. He would find former knowledge of the Premier League like Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinković-Savić, and his ex-Coelsea co-of-co-team, Kalidou Koulibaly.
This movement illustrates a new trend in Saudi Pro League: strategic loans between Kingdom clubs, facilitated by the fact that Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are both controlled by the Saudi public investment fund (PIF). If the objective is clearly to enhance the Saudi championship on the international scene and to offer a showcase of choice to players like Kanté, this “Temporary collaboration” Between two direct rivals just for a tournament do not fail to raise questions. The finalization of the agreement, which must take place quickly before the Deadline, is eagerly awaited.
A football festival … or the sign of a drift?
If seeing N'Golo Kanté, a player unanimously appreciated for his qualities and his humility, participating in such an international competition is good news for football lovers, behind the scenes of this “transfer” have something to perplex. The fact that a player can be “loaned” to a rival club, just for the duration of a tournament, for reasons that seem more promotional than purely sporting, questions the evolution of world football. The notions of loyalty to a club, of healthy rivalry, seem to be more and more diluted in the face of economic and image imperatives.
This Kanté operation, if it materializes, could be the symbol of a football where everything becomes permitted, where the values of the past erase before financial power and the desire to promote competitions at all costs. One can legitimately wonder if this kind of arrangements, where a player becomes a kind of “luxury mercenary” for a month, does not empty the sport of his substance. One thing is certain, if we are happy to see Kanté again at the highest level, this situation proves that world football goes a little to spin, where the rules and ethics seem more and more flexible.
