Brendan: Concern over playing time was not Jamie Vardy's reason for turning down Arsenal

[urban.spaceman]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/11/07/brendan-rodgers-concern-playing-time-not-jamie-vardys-reason/

Brendan Rodgers: Concern over playing time was not Jamie Vardy's reason for turning down Arsenal

• Sam Wallace, Chief Football Writer

Jamie Vardy turned down an approach by Arsenal, instead staying at Leicester City Credit: Action Images 

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers says that Premier League top goalscorerJamie Vardy would never have turned down Arsenal out of fear of not playing there, when the London club made an offer in 2016 in the wake of Leicester City’s title-winning season.  

The two sides face one another at the King Power Stadium on Saturday with third-place Leicester leading Arsenal by six points and pressure mounting on Unai Emeryafter four straight draws in all competitions.

Vardy has ten goals already this season and Rodgers reflected on the player’s decision not to join Arsenal three years ago, instead signing a long-term deal with Leicester that has two more years to run after this season.

Rodgers said: “The one thing I know from Jamie Vardy is he’s a team player. It’s about the team. Of course he’s a top striker but he loves competition. You see it every day in our working time together.

“He’s the type of guy who’s proven himself all his life, all his career, and he’s proven himself to be one of the top strikers in Europe. It wouldn’t have been because of that [fear of competition], that he didn’t go to Arsenal.

“There were a number of things: he was probably offered a good deal here, felt comfortable here, stable here, his family. It’s an incredible club. Especially with all the paraphernalia around the Premier League. This is a club that’s pure in its community spirit, doesn’t get carried away with all the stuff that the Premier League can bring and he’s the type of guy who will have enjoyed that, being looked after.”

Rodgers has no major injury concerns going into Saturday’s game. He said that Vardy could continue playing for some time to come.

“His [Vardy’s] best years will be here and if you look at him now there are still a few more to go yet,” Rodgers said. “He’s still so sharp, clinical, fit – he’ll be 33 in January but he looks after his body. Maybe not having played so much early on in his career is going to help him at the back end of his career. Then what he wants to do in a few years’ time, you never know, he might want to play in another country, which he could do. But hopefully he’s going to be here for many more years.”

[ozleicester]

5 minutes ago, urban.spaceman said:

, he might want to play in another country

Look out USA.... the Vardy party will be on its way

[Guest SO1]

46 minutes ago, ozleicester said:

Look out USA.... the Vardy party will be on its way

No thanks. Have to find a way to make some money so I can go to King Power and see him when he's at his prime.

Have zero interest in seeing players at the end of their careers playing second rate soccer in the US.

I've never seen a match in person. Saving myself for Brendan. Someday.

[HybridFox]

Remember feeling so gutted when I thought he was going to Arsenal. Not even anger, it was just pure despair. 

 

I think it'll be same once he hangs up his boots or does finish his career elsewhere. One player I would binge watch the MLS or Chinese Super League for 

[Jattdogg]

6 minutes ago, TK95 said:

Remember feeling so gutted when I thought he was going to Arsenal. Not even anger, it was just pure despair. 

 

I think it'll be same once he hangs up his boots or does finish his career elsewhere. One player I would binge watch the MLS or Chinese Super League for 

He is welcome over here at TFC. He would destroy MLS.

[The_77]

1 hour ago, SO1 said:

No thanks. Have to find a way to make some money so I can go to King Power and see him when he's at his prime.

Have zero interest in seeing players at the end of their careers playing second rate soccer in the US.

I've never seen a match in person. Saving myself for Brendan. Someday.

What do you care, then? You won’t want to see him by that point, anyway. 
 

Just don’t expect Brendan to wait for you. 

[m4DD0gg]

mind games from BR ahead of tomorrow

[StriderHiryu]

Not a surprise to me. I reckon the thought process was "be just another player at Arsenal, or retire as a legend at Leicester City, where I feel comfortable, happy and accepted." I also think the potential movie based on his life would also have been soured if he left for the team that finished second to Leicester after winning the title!

 

Vardy will get a statue outside the ground, the fans will make it happen if the club doesn't, and it wouldn't surprise me if players like Vardy, Morgan and Kasper get some serious love from the club such as stands in the ground named after them. I think as a player being loved and recognised is something that is hard to pass up.

 

I will say one thing though. If Alex Ferguson was still in the league, I think he would have brought Vardy and Vardy would have went. Fergie didn't really care about the age of a player, he cared if they were good enough and could cut it. Look at signings like Van Persie and Berbatov. So thankfully for us, Fergie stepped down a while ago!

[OntarioFox]

7 hours ago, Jattdogg said:

He is welcome over here at TFC. He would destroy MLS.

Nah mate, when the dust settles in 5 years' time and it's obvious that the CPL is superior, he'll be tearing York 9 defenders a new donut in Forge FC orange. 

[MarriedaLeicesterGirl]

9 hours ago, SO1 said:

No thanks. Have to find a way to make some money so I can go to King Power and see him when he's at his prime.

Have zero interest in seeing players at the end of their careers playing second rate soccer in the US.

I've never seen a match in person. Saving myself for Brendan. Someday.

Just some advice -- look at the Manchester airport. When I had to fly to the States recently, there was a round trip flight to Houston for $500. Leicester is pretty much equidistant between that and the London airports.

[koop.]

9 hours ago, SO1 said:

No thanks. Have to find a way to make some money so I can go to King Power and see him when he's at his prime.

Have zero interest in seeing players at the end of their careers playing second rate soccer in the US.

I've never seen a match in person. Saving myself for Brendan. Someday.

How long have you followed Leicester?

Expensive trip from the states

[Jattdogg]

55 minutes ago, OntarioFox said:

Nah mate, when the dust settles in 5 years' time and it's obvious that the CPL is superior, he'll be tearing York 9 defenders a new donut in Forge FC orange. 

[Houdini Logic]

The people who keep saying he will keep his peak longer because he wasn't playing professional football in his teens/early twenties clearly don't understand how hard it is to work a 10 hour shift in a factory every day

[urban fox]

3 minutes ago, Houdini Logic said:

The people who keep saying he will keep his peak longer because he wasn't playing professional football in his teens/early twenties clearly don't understand how hard it is to work a 10 hour shift in a factory every day

A fair point and all very true but it is a different kind of fatigue. You are using totally different muscle groups and movements, not putting strain on things like groin muscles (the only significant types of injury Vardy has suffered afaik), achilles tendons and the like

[AKCJ]

13 hours ago, TK95 said:

Remember feeling so gutted when I thought he was going to Arsenal. Not even anger, it was just pure despair. 

 

I think it'll be same once he hangs up his boots or does finish his career elsewhere. One player I would binge watch the MLS or Chinese Super League for 

I remember the sheer panic of refreshing twitter, FoxesTalk and every other internet news source that day.

 

Absolute ****ing bedlam. When someone posted on here that we'd accepted a bid accepted (a proper ITK at the time) I felt like i'd been kicked right in the gut.