N'Golo Kante covered almost every blade of grass at Arsenal and has the most interceptions in Europe... the Leicester workhorse is one of the buys of the season

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In the midst of N'Golo Kante producing a performance of belligerent brilliance against Arsenal, Rio Ferdinand felt compelled to record his observations on Twitter.

'Right now, Kante is the best tackler/retriever of the ball on the planet,' said the former Manchester United defender, a man well attuned to that part of the game.

Kante was covering so much ground, coming out on top in so many duels, that it felt Leicester had sneaked an extra player into midfield.

N'Golo Kante keeps the ball from Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey during Leicester's defeat on Sunday

Kante slides in on Alexis Sanchez in a bid to prevent the Arsenal playmaker launching another attack

One moment before the break saw Kante wrestle the ball from Alexis Sanchez – no easy opponent in a physical battle – then bomb up field to reclaim possession and send a shot looping towards the top corner until Petr Cech's intervention.

Social media was reacting as usual to a compelling performance in a big television game, with one recurring theme being pictures of brick walls. Kante, granite tough, has been blocking opposition attacks all season.

When Leicester went down to ten men his influence inevitably ebbed, but overall his hard running, his energy, his desire to win back possession served to enhance the significant impression made already this season.

Secured for £5.6million from Caen last summer, Thierry Henry is in no doubt about Kante's impact. 'He's my signing of the season. I think he's been tremendous,' said the Arsenal legend on Friday.

Chalk this transfer up as another triumph for Leicester's increasingly lauded recruitment department, headed by Steve Walsh. Tasked around a year ago with finding an industrious midfield player by Nigel Pearson, the club's scouting team crunched numbers on Europe's finest and Kante's name came out near the top.

In particular, during his displays in Ligue 1 over the 2014-15 season, Kante proved the top interceptor and highest tackler of any midfielder in Europe.

But the stats are never enough for Leicester. Walsh sees all signings in the flesh, working in tandem with chief scout David Mills, and the pair crossed the Channel to study Kante's ability up close.

Kante showed his battling qualities against Olivier Giroud but was unable to prevent Leicester losing

Kante touch and heat maps (below) against Arsenal showed how involved he was at both ends of the pitch

 

Of note was a goal he scored against Dijon in the French Cup in January 2014, when he picked up possession deep in his own half, carried the ball to the edge of the opposition area, and dispatched a fine finish into the top corner.

Kante has only scored once this season, a rather fortunate effort against Watford, but Manchester City were nearly victims to his industry at the King Power Stadium in December. He drove for 40 yards and sent a shot just past the post. It was a similar story against Arsenal.

Those personal trips convinced Walsh that Kante's height, just 5ft 6in, was overcome by his tenacity and stamina. The theory ran that while he may not be effective defending aerial balls, he was a magnet to anything on the ground, and the style of English football would suit him.

Pearson's sacking meant only a momentary delay in Leicester's pursuit with Claudio Ranieri's initial reservations overcome through Walsh's conviction.

'He pushed me when I arrived here in June, and then in July,' Ranieri revaled in December. 'He said, 'Kante, Claudio, Kante'. He was determined to sign him more than I was. He has been fantastic for us.'

Other Premier League clubs were on the case, Aston Villa and Newcastle were believed to show interest, but the main competition came from Marseille, one of France's bigger beasts.

Financial limitations at the Stade Velodrome curtailed a move there though and eventually Kante signed for Leicester on August.

Even accounting for the hard work that went into his signature, Kante's success has been remarkable. A late bloomer, he only made his professional debut in French league football on May 18, 2012, playing for US Boulogne against Monaco in Ligue 2 aged 21. 

Kante is sent flying by Laurent Koscielny as Arsenal struggled to cope with his endeavour

Leicester's assistant manager Steve Walsh (right) convinced Claudio Ranieri to sign Kante last summer

Kante, born in Paris, had progressed through the youth ranks at Boulogne, a club based on the northern coast on France with a capacity stadium of just 15,000. A successful season in 2013-13 saw him move to Caen where he featured substantially in a campaign that ended in promotion to the French top flight, finishing third in the table behind champions Metz and Lens.

Arsene Wenger, speaking before Sunday's clash at the Emirates, said he has been aware of Kante for a long time but had not predicted a transfer to the Premier League so soon.

'You look at his career and you will be amazed. Because he played in Suresnes in Paris at the age of nine, 10 years old,' said Wenger. 'After, he went to Boulogne as an amateur. They didn't want to sign him pro.

'After, he went to Caen, and then he came finally to England. But, everywhere he has been, he has always adapted to the level where he was.

'One of my best friends in life knows him since he was 10 years old, and he spoke to me about him. We went to watch him and we saw he had quality, but I didn't know he would come so quickly to England.'

Leicester's players speak of an unassuming personality, and ever-present smile. His English is not great, but he communicates through his endeavour on the pitch.

He stats remain outstanding. His 109 interceptions are the most by any player in Europe's top five leagues – England, Spain, Germany, France, Italy – and only Jean-Daniel Akpa-Akpro, the Toulouse midfielder, has more tackles (121 to 108).

Kante has yet to win any national honours but must be a serious consideration for France manager Didier Deschamps ahead of Euro 2016.

For now, he will be happy to keep putting in performances for Leicester to make pundits take notice, playing his major role in the fascinating story of an implausible and unpredictable title charge.

Kante earned his move to Leicester after impressing for French side Cannes