Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy has revealed that Arsenal‘s style of play is what prompted him to snub a move to the Emirates in the summer.
The 29-year-old struck 24 goals, and assisted a further six, in the Premier League last season to help Leicester get their hands on a the Premier League trophy, in what was a memorable campaign.
It prompted interest in Vardy’s services over the summer from Arsene Wenger’s side, as the French tactician looked to bolster his frontline.
However, Vardy stunned many by signing a new five-year deal with the Foxes and snubbing the Gunners in the process.
“With people like Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil creating chances, Arsenal felt they could benefit me as much as I could them,” he wrote in his book, which is being serialised by The Sun.
“But I also thought about the tactical aspect.
“You look at Arsenal’s style of play and they don’t get the ball forward quickly in the same way Leicester do for those runs I like to make in behind the defence.
“One thing that didn’t worry me was the idea that I wouldn’t be the ‘main man’ at Arsenal.
“Players always come and go. It was more a case of seeing Leicester as a club that wanted to build on what we achieved with the title and I want to be part of that.
“I’m happy with how everything has turned out.
“‘The dream continues,’ Claudio [Ranieri] texted me after I agreed to stay. That’s exactly how I felt, too.”
While many may question Vardy’s reasoning, the system he is currently deployed in under Claudio Ranieri suits the forward’s preference for runs in behind defences.
It is a system England did not adopt over the summer at Euro 2016 – the Three Lions had the lions share of possession for most games – and it meant Vardy struggled to get into matches to a great extent under Roy Hodgson.
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