Frank Leboeuf Chelsea quotes – Kante should retire; Chelsea must sign Gvardiol; Chelsea’s season is over, they won’t finish in top 4 +more

Frank Leboeuf has revealed to Safe Betting Sites on why he thinks Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante should retire after horrific injury and urges Chelsea to sign WC star Joško Gvardiol.

N’Golo Kante may be forced to consider retirement over injury hell

Leboeuf said: “I haven’t spoken to Kante directly about his fitness and how he feels but it could be that he’s nearing the end of it [his career]. Because the thing is we have to understand that we are talking about a human being. Suddenly your body says okay, enough, leave me alone. The end of your career is also a part of your career, and you have to choose the right time to give up. Even if you don’t want to and even if your football is great and you want to carry on.

“You have to give envy to people and not pity. So you have to make a decision in your own mind [regarding retirement]. You have to talk to your family and say maybe okay, it’s over. So I don’t know his shape but if he feels that he can serve Chelsea well then he should stay.”

WC star Joško Gvardiol is much needed signing for Chelsea

Leboeuf said: “Gvardiol is a great player. He was turned inside out by Messi in the semi-final for that great goal but that was partly Dejan Lovren’s fault for not helping him and also the mask he was wearing probably didn’t help either [laughs]. I know I’m making excuses for him but he’s a great defender, he had a great World Cup and if Chelsea can get him, I say to the club, “Yes thank you.”

Chelsea’s season is over. They won’t finish 4th

Leboeuf said, “I think Chelsea’s season is effectively already over. They can’t win the title, they can’t compete with Manchester City that’s for sure. We have to respect Arsenal also even if I think Man City will finish top of the league. I don’t even see Chelsea finishing in the top four because of the way they were playing. I think we have to give time to Potter to rebuild something, and to correct all the errors that they made in terms of signing players.

“I won’t name names but for sure you have to get rid of some players in order to make room for others. And that’s what they must do next summer. Let’s call this season a blank season and prepare for next year with Nkunku, Gvardial and some others. Randal Kolo Muani and Marcus Thuram are both very talented players who play for good teams, but not top teams and if Chelsea can target those players, that would be great.”

Graham Potter needs more time at Chelsea

Leboeuf said: “I want to see Mr. Potter given more time. This is the first time in a long time Chelsea have employed someone who’s not coached at the top level – with all due respect. This is not somebody who has already won the Champions League before coming to Chelsea. I like that they’ve given an English coach a chance. He proved at Brighton that he knows how to deal with the players. So give him the time to prove himself. Yes it has not been perfect so far but it’s not been an easy transition for Mr Potter, but give him time to be judged.

Cody Gakpo would be bad signing for Arsenal

Leboeuf said: “Gakpo would be a good target. He had a fantastic World Cup. He’s young, he’s a great talent and he represents the future of football. But there is always a dilemma when you want to replace somebody with a great player. When that injured player returns, what happens then? Does he go straight back into the team in place of the new signing?

“So if you sign Gakpo and put him in competition with Gabriel Jesus, who then finds himself back in the situation he was in at Man City. Maybe you risk upsetting him and the dressing room? But equally maybe he is not going to worry. But it is also possible that he’s gonna be unhappy because he was playing great before his injury.

“It could be dramatic at the end of the day. So you have to believe that Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal board have already thought through the pros and cons but will have to be 100% sure that Gakpo can be good for the team in the squad before they try to sign him. It’s a tricky balance that’s the problem.”

PSG will not let Kylian Mbappe join Real Madrid

Leboeuf said: “Mbappe was born close to Paris, he plays his football in Paris, he earns millions of Euros per year and is the hero of his nation. Why would he want to leave? Yes admittedly Ligue 1 is not the best but neither is La Liga in terms of quality throughout the league below the top five. He wants to make history with PSG right now. He’s writing his history and hopefully that is going to include Champions League trophies alongside Messi. I don’t see him leaving. It’s too early for Qatar to let him go and don’t forget he just signed a new contract so the fans would be outraged if he left straight after.”

Zinedine Zidane should succeed Didier Deschamps as France manager

Leboeuf said: “I think Deschamps did a great job. To reach the final was unexpected if we go back to a month ago. He is a winner and he wants to win the European Championship and I’m pretty sure that he’s gonna stay until at least the next Euros and after let’s see let’s see if Zinedine Zidane will take the job. I think it would be great to go from Laurent Blanc to Deschamps to Zizou. It’s great that so many players from the ‘98 team have embraced the role of being coach.”

Emiliano Martinez needs to grow up! After ‘stupid’ antics at WC penalty shootout

Leboeuf said: “I was saying good things about Emiliano Martinez before the final and I think he’s a great goalkeeper. But his behaviour? Oh, my God, grow up man! What are you doing in front of the world? Playing with your trophy. Are you stupid, or what? And what the players did afterwards in the dressing room [singing about Mbappe]? Come on, the guy scored four goals against you. What are you teasing him for?

“Martinez played with Tchouaméni when he threw the ball away and made him go to pick it up [in the shootout]. I would have gone to the spot and said I will wait for somebody to give me the ball. But overall Martinez is an exceptional goalkeeper. It’s crazy to see that he was a substitute for Arsenal for so many years. We can all see his talent now. I don’t like his behaviour but what a goalkeeper.”