Club Legend: This Man Stopped Arsenal From N’Golo Kante Last Summer

Arsenal legend Alan Smith has claimed that Francis Coquelin is the reason why Arsene Wenger did not sign N’Golo Kante last summer.

The France international was on Arsenal’s radar during the last summer window, after helping his former club, Leicester City to a memorable Premier League title last season, sparking a bidding war between Chelsea and the Gunners.

Kante chose to join Chelsea ahead of Arsenal last summer and Alan Smith claims Arsene Wenger’s faith in Coquelin made him pull out of the race to the 25-year-old who turned out to be a stand-out performer for the Blues this summer.

He said: ‘Of course they should have,

‘He’s something that they haven’t got. I think Arsene Wenger thought at the time that Coquelin would be able to do that job.

‘But Coquelin has stood still and hasn’t become the player we thought he would when he first broke into the Arsenal team.

‘It’s reflected in the fact he’s not getting in the team. He didn’t get in the semi-final team at the weekend.

‘I think it was a mistake. If he could have got him, he should have got him.’

The Chelsea midfielder was crowned the PFA Player of the year last Sunday while Coquelin has been a bit-part player at Arsenal in recent weeks due to his inconsistent performances.