Arsène Wenger admitted for the first time today that he tried to sign N’Golo Kante from Leicester City last summer before the French midfielder joined Chelsea.

Wenger will face Kante at Stamford Bridge tomorrow and has been an admirer of the diminutive midfielder for years, saying today it is “no coincidence” he is at the heart of his second consecutive title-winning side. Wenger first looked at Kante when he was still an unheralded youngster playing for Caen but never completed the deal.

Kante moved to Leicester City in 2015 and Wenger tried in earnest to bring him to the Emirates that season. But Kante moved to Chelsea instead for £32m, the first signing of Antonio Conte’s time at Stamford Bridge.

Asked at his press conference this morning whether he had tried to sign Kante, Wenger confirmed that he had tried twice. “When he was in France, and when he was at Leicester,” Wenger said.

When asked why Kante joined Chelsea not Arsenal, Wenger said it was “obvious” given his eventual destination, implying that it owed to Roman Abramovich’s side’s financial firepower. “I cannot explain everything but it is quite obvious when you look where he has gone,” Wenger said. “I do not want to talk about it, transfers are transfers. You cannot explain absolutely everything.”

Arsenal would certainly be a very different prospect with Kante in midfield. Wenger is still a great admirer of his, pointing out today how the integration of Kante has had a “huge impact” on Chelsea’s season, and that it is “no coincidence” Kante is on the verge of winning the Premier League with two different clubs in consecutive seasons, the first outfield player ever to do so.

While Kante started the season playing in a midfield three, the switch to a 3-4-3 system has allowed Kante to move into a two, making the most of his running power. That, more than anything else, explains why the formation change has transformed Chelsea’s season.