N’Golo Kante has made a surprise promise to his Chelsea teammates if he scores in his first game back from injury.
The indefatigable Frenchman hasn’t played for the Blues since August due to a hamstring injury that required surgery.
Thomas Tuchel was still in charge of Chelsea when Kante last featured – during the 2-2 draw against Tottenham.
However, Kante returned to training last month and has been named in Chelsea’s squad to face Everton on Saturday evening.
Graham Potter reacts to Kante’s return
Chelsea boss Graham Potter told reporters on Friday, per Yahoo: “It would be the first time so it’s fantastic. Managers before me have spoken very highly of N’Golo because he’s a top, top player.
“He’s been a huge miss to us. That’s not to say the other players haven’t given absolutely everything because they have, but N’Golo Kante is N’Golo Kante. A top player.
“It’s great for us he’s back. We need to be mindful of the fact he’s had a long injury and we need to take the next steps to get him up to speed in the Premier League, which is what we’ll do.”
Kante makes promise to Chelsea teammates
If Kante plays and scores against Everton at Stamford Bridge, fans will be treated to something they’ve never seen before from the mild-mannered midfielder.
Well, that’s only if N’Golo keeps his promise – which he surely will.
While training with his Chelsea teammates this week, Ben Chilwell suggested that Kante should do a knee slide celebration if he scores.
Kante – possibly the most unlikely footballer to pull out a knee slide celebration – surprisingly agreed.
He said: “If I score first game, I’ll knee slide!”
Kante then shook hands with Chilwell, Mykhailo Mudryk and Christian Pulisic, who said: “I want to see it so bad.”
We all do, Christian!
Watch the clip in full here:
N’Golo Kante agreeing to knee slide if he scores in his first game back 🤣pic.twitter.com/cPZZQ4JC3c
— CFC-Blues (@CFCBlues_com) March 18, 2023
Will Kante sign a new contract at Chelsea?
Recent reports claim that Kante is close to agreeing a new deal at Chelsea.
The World Cup winner’s contract expires at the end of the season but ESPN reported in February that negations have gone well.
Kante is expected to put pen to paper on a new three-year contract that will keep him tied to Stamford Bridge until June 2026.
The midfielder’s return to action is extremely timely for Potter, who is beginning to slowly turn things around in west London following a rocky start to 2023.
Chelsea currently sit 10th in the Premier League table, having picked up 37 points from 26 matches.