‘I have no regrets going’: Vicente Iborra on move to Leicester City
Vicente Iborra has no regrets at all about his move to Leicester City.
Signed in the summer of 2017 for a reported £15 million by Craig Shakespeare, the Spaniard was never quite able to establish himself as a regular in the team, eventually leaving for Villarreal in January.
He only managed 37 appearances over two seasons, scoring four goals and assisting half as many in that time.
Despite a staggering lack of game time, however, he only has good things to say about his time at the King Power Stadium.
"“I don’t regret going,” he told AS.“I have lived a new experience, played in new stadiums, against new teams. (I was) able to learn a new culture and another language.“In the end, the football situation was not the best, no matter how much I tried to work and change it.”"
Iborra also expressed his joy at being able to return to his homeland, further adding how he has been made to feel important at Villarreal.
"“I was static and looking for solutions.“To return to Spain and to my world has been very positive.“I am thankful to Villarreal and I want to get that confidence back because they have made me feel important.“I still have contact with many people in Leicester, they wish me the best.”"
When he was brought in under Shakespeare, there were big expectations of the midfielder because he had played at the highest level for years and won three consecutive UEFA Europa League titles while doing so as well.
But it just didn’t work out for him in the East Midlands. Iborra could never really find a permanent place in the now sacked Claude Puel’s preferred XI, mainly because he liked his team young – Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel being an exception to that, of course.
Puel did give him a fair few games in his first season at the club as Iborra started 14 times in the league for the Frenchman. This season, though, he started just six games, with three of those starts coming in the Carabao Cup.
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A move away was therefore the best option for Iborra and Leicester. At 30, he had little chance of being able to adapt to the fast-paced nature of football in England, whereas in Spain, he’s now able to play every week without any problem because of the discernible difference in intensity.