How Leicester City Discovered N’Golo Kanté
N’golo Kanté
In the summer of 2015, Leicester City made a decision that would transform their club’s history forever. They signed a relatively unknown midfielder, N’Golo Kanté, from French side SM Caen for just around €5 million. By the end of the season, this unassuming player wasn’t just a part of the team - he was its heartbeat, powering Leicester to an unimaginable Premier League title. The odds of Leicester City winning the Premier League were 1 in 5,000. To put that into perspective: it means that, statistically, such an event would be expected to happen only once in 5,000 seasons or years.
But here’s the twist: the signing almost didn’t happen.
Claudio Ranieri, Leicester’s newly appointed manager, wasn’t convinced. He doubted whether an unknown player with questionable physicality from Ligue 1 could adapt to the intensity of the Premier League and English football. Ranieri had his eyes on another target, Gökhan Inler, an experienced international midfielder he already had seen in the Serie A.
So, what changed his mind?
The answer lies in Leicester’s data-driven scouting and analysis, which revealed what others missed: Kanté’s exceptional stats that screamed “hidden gem.” This story isn’t just a lesson in smart recruitment - it’s a masterclass in how a football analytics strategy can uncover extraordinary talent.
Why Ranieri Initially Hesitated
When Esteban Cambiasso left Leicester, Ranieri was desperate to find a “campione” to fill the void. A proven player. Someone experienced. Kanté, a midfielder with no real experience, didn’t fit the bill.
Ranieri believed Kanté might struggle to adapt to the physical demands of English football. He worried that the French league wasn’t comparable to the Premier League and that moving to a new country and style of play might restrict Kanté’s impact. At best, Ranieri thought Kanté would be a squad player, a rotation option behind his preferred target, Gökhan Inler, who was later signed from Napoli as well.
However, Leicester’s data department and chief scout didn’t give up. They saw something extraordinary in Kanté - something the numbers revealed. They presented Ranieri with hard evidence that convinced him to take a chance on the unproven Frenchman.
The Stats That Made Kanté stand out
Kanté’s performances in Ligue 1 were impressive, but it was his underlying metrics that truly stood out. Leicester’s analytics team dug deep into the data, revealing attributes that made him an ideal fit for their system:
Kanté was a European leader in tackles and interceptions, demonstrating his ability to disrupt opposition play and regain possession.
He was a one-man engine room, consistently outpacing his peers in kilometers covered per game.
Kanté had an ability to turn defensive recoveries into attacking opportunities, perfect for Leicester’s counter-attacking style
These stats were exactly what Leicester needed to power their high-energy, defensively solid, and fast-transition game plan.
From Doubts to Dominance
Even after Kanté joined, Ranieri wasn’t convinced he’d be a starter. Gökhan Inler was expected to anchor the midfield, with Kanté playing a supporting role. But once the season began, it became clear that Kanté was no ordinary squad player.
His relentless energy and ability to dominate the midfield were impossible to ignore. Week after week, Kanté’s performances proved his doubters wrong. Ranieri, who once questioned the signing, later described him as the “battery of the team” and that ”the world is covered by 70% water and the remaining 30% is covered by N’golo Kanté”.
In Kanté, Leicester didn’t just find a player—they found a true ”Campione”.
The Lessons for Modern Football Analysis
Leicester’s signing of Kanté is a reminder that talent isn’t always obvious -it often lies beneath the surface, waiting to be uncovered by those willing to look deeper. Traditional scouting may have overlooked him, but advanced analytics told a different story.
This is the philosophy that drives us at PlayMakerAI. We use cutting-edge data analysis to help clubs uncover hidden gems - players who might otherwise be missed by conventional methods.
Here’s how we do it:
We go beyond the basics, analyzing performance indicators specific to a player’s role.
Our AI processes vast amounts of data across leagues and countries, identifying talent that others might overlook.
We evaluate not just a player’s stats but how their attributes can translate to different leagues and systems.
Finding the Next Kanté
Leicester’s story shows what’s possible when data meets bold decision-making. It took a leap of faith, backed by analytics, to turn Kanté from an unknown into one of the best midfielders in the world.
At PlayMakerAI, we’re committed to helping clubs replicate that success. Whether you’re searching for the next Kanté or looking to refine your recruitment strategy, the key is clear: trust the data, challenge assumptions, and uncover the extraordinary.
The next signing that changes football history?
It’s out there. Let us help you find it.
