Frank Leboeuf has slammed his former club Chelsea for the ‘shameful’ decision to sell N’Golo Kante last summer.
The veteran midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements by the Premier League giants last summer following the record investment in Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Kante’s career at the elite level of world football appeared to be over when he joined Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League but the 33-year-old has rolled back the year for Les Bleus.
After he was surprisingly included in Didier Deschamps’ squad, Kante has more than justified his manager’s faith with a series of typically energetic displays in the heart of France’s engine room.
Kante is far from the only experienced player Chelsea have let go under Todd Boehly’s leadership, with crowd favourite Thiago Silva bidding an emotional farewell at the end of last season, much to Leboeuf’s annoyance.
‘I’m frustrated as a former Chelsea player,’ he told BoyleSports. ‘I still follow all my former clubs and especially Chelsea, as something special happened with me and the fans there when I was at the club.
‘My frustration is now turning to anger. Chelsea change coaches but they are not thinking differently.
‘I try to stay neutral – even when Chelsea play Man United – but I have to be professional.
‘Chelsea as a football club is just not working and we are becoming a mockery for other clubs.
‘We live in the present and not the future, fans want results and I want results, I don’t want to wait four years to get them.
’We need to sign spine players – look at what N’Golo Kante is doing at the EUROs – it’s shameful why we’re getting rid of these players.
‘There’s no consistency and we also got rid of Thiago Silva, who was our only experienced defender.
’We have talented players but they are far too young. There needs to be a blend of youth and wisdom of experience and we don’t have that.
‘That is why we’re good and then terrible 15 minutes later and this is the new normal.’