Jamie Vardy has given Leicester a huge boost by insisting he will stay with the Premier League champions next season.
Vardy fired Leicester’s miraculous charge to the title with 24 goals and the England striker’s blistering form prompted speculation he could be lured away from the King Power Stadium by one of the league’s superpowers.
But with Leicester looking forward to competing in the Champions League and defending the title, the 29-year-old is adamant he will ignore any big money offers.
“We’ve just won the league and will be playing in the Champions League next year. I am happy here,” Vardy said.
Vardy’s remarkable rise this season recently saw him voted Football Writers’ Player of the Year, but he knows Leicester owe their success to more than just his predatory instincts.
He claims the turning point in Leicester’s fairytale triumph came when boss Claudio Ranieri gave them a week off after they were knocked out of the FA Cup by Tottenham in February.
The Foxes returned refreshed and soon afterwards enjoyed a 3-1 win at Manchester City that provided the belief they could win the league.
“It worked out perfectly. No-one was going to go on a seven-day bender. It was there to relax with family and that’s all we did until we got back to training,” Vardy said.
“We’d been knocked out of the FA Cup, the gaffer gave us a week off to completely forget about everything and recharge the batteries.
“We all ventured off, quite a few of us went to Dubai together as a team, and I think that moment, for him to even think about doing that, showed what he’d thought of us as a team and how much work we’d already put in.
“To get those batteries recharged for that week and come back fighting stronger was a massive part.
“It was a great idea. I remember sitting on a sun lounger and in the same hotel, Sunderland were there running up and down the beach doing fitness.
“For me to be relaxing while they’re doing the training was quite nice.”