The Leicester striker turned down a move to the Emirates this summer
Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy admits it was an easy decision to reject a move to Arsenal, and sign a new contract with the Premier League champions.
A incredible season for Vardy, both on a personal and team level, which saw him win the Football Writers’ Association player of the year and Premier League title, attracted the interest of Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
However, the 29-year-old admits the decision to reject Arsene Wenger’s interest and sign a new four-year deal at the east midlands club was not as tough a decision as some would believe.
“I was in a hotel room for many hours of every day with nothing to do,” said Vardy. “You had a lot of time on your hands.
“I am not going to beat around the bush – every time I thought about it, and every aspect of it I thought about, both my head and my heart were saying to stay, which is why I made my decision to stay.
“Deep down if you don’t think it is the right move for you, you don’t do it. It is as simple as that. You get that much time to think about every single thing down to the tea lady.”
Some pundits had questioned the striker’s decision to stay with the reigning Premier League champions, instead of a move to a more established Champions League-level club like Arsenal.
But the striker, who finished a goal behind top scorer and compatriot Harry Kane in the Premier League scoring charts, admits his head and his heart came to a unanimous decision.
“You think about what might happen, what might not, where you could be, where not. Every time I thought about every little thing, both head and heart were saying, ‘You need to stay’.” Vardy continued.
“In my professional life it was the hardest decision. It was hard but, like I said, when it came to my head and my heart it was an easy decision.”
Now the former Fleetwood Town striker is taking a break from club football, for England’s first World Cup qualifier in Slovakia, before returning to Leicester and preparing for their venture into Europe’s elite club competition.
