Al Ittihad stalling over N’Golo Kanté signing due to medical issue

One often wonders just how useful the medical tests carried out before (almost) every signing may be, but every once in a while they do flag up some potential issues.

N’Golo Kanté’s medical with Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad is one example of just that, with the Saudi Pro League club confirming to the AFP news agency that the move is currently being held up due to that potential issue.

“Kanté signed a binding agreement, not a final contract. We still review the medical checkup result. He has a long injury history and we want to be careful before signing a huge contract.”

-Al Ittihad “source”; source: AFP via France24

Kanté does indeed have a long injury history now, and those jokes of him covering the rest of the planet not covered in water, or playing as if there were two of him, have been long left behind — save for a few occasional stupendous outings like in the final rounds of our 2021 Champions League triumph.

The 32-year-old missed the vast majority of the current season with a hamstring injury and subsequent surgery, and then also missed the last few weeks with a groin problem. His new club wanting to take a closer look at that history, in addition to their tests, is only understandable.