Jamie Vardy has revealed the reason behind his surprise decision to snub Arsenal in favour of staying at Leicester, reports the Mirror.
The rags-to-riches Premier League striker had the chance to move to the Emirates when the Gunners activated his £20million release clause earlier in the summer.
But former non-league star Vardy instead opted to remain with the Premier League champions, signing a four-year contract extension in June.
Vardy decided to reject the Gunners while he was on international duty with England at Euro 2016.
He said: “I was in a hotel room for many hours of every day with nothing to
do.
“I had a lot of time on my hands. I literally thought about every single little thing, down to the tea lady.
“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 added: “I kept bumping into Arsene Wenger at every hotel we stayed in during the Euros – and I have also seen him since.
“There wasn’t anything awkward. Just a simple ‘hello’ or ‘how are you doing?’ That kind of thing.
“It was the biggest decision of my professional life – not that I’ve been a professional that long – and it was a nice compliment.
“But Leicester have been on the rise and I think that will continue. We are like a band of brothers.”
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