Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has backed £30m summer signing N'Golo Kante to come good for the club, after a less than perfect start to his career at Stamford Bridge "?which has been the Blues stutter in their attempts to return to the top of the table.
Kante has hailed as one of the difference-makers in Leicester City's extraordinary title win last season, but has yet to light up west London since his summer move - slipping up against Arsenal in a chastening 3-0 defeat.
Conte: 'I love the players who always show a good spirit. The central defenders must be very aggressive and cover the space.' #CFC
The France international looks set to face his former team on the weekend and "?speaking ahead of the match, Conte backed the 25-year-old to come good sooner rather than later.
"I'm pleased N'Golo took the decision to come with us," he said. "N'Golo is an important player for the present and the future for Chelsea. We did a great buy. He brought great will to fight and he's a humble man, a humble player. I like him. I like these type of players that put the team before himself.
"He's brave. He's not tall, but for me he has great qualities. It's good he puts his quality into the team."
"We do miss him, but we have to move on" - Wes Morgan reflects on Leicester without N'Golo Kante https://t.co/xXg0a2xgny pic.twitter.com/4ovSqH6Icx
The Italian added that he was largely unbothered by Kante's mistake against the Gunners in last month's 3-0 defeat, saying: "I prefer he made a mistake through generosity than another type of mistake."
The Blues sit behind most of their expected title rivals after seven games of the season, with a five point gap to leaders Manchester City after Pep Guardiola's side were pegged back by Tottenham just before the international break.
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