Brendan Rodgers: Fear of competition not why Jamie Vardy rejected Arsenal
The prospect of having to fight for his place is not why Leicester City hitman Jamie Vardy chose to reject Arsenal, Brendan Rodgers has said.
The Gunners made a £17 million bid for Vardy in 2016; however, not only was the offer deemed laughable for someone who had just finished as the division’s top goalscorer but also, the North Londoners were left wide-eyed when the former Fleetwood Town forward decided against joining them.
To date, some people still feel that Vardy turned down the chance because he was afraid of being benched for better players. Brendan Rodgers, though, is having none of it.
The gaffer knows that the 32-year old is a competitor and that he simply chose to stay at the King Power Stadium because he felt comfortable at this “incredible club”.
"“It won’t have been because of that, that he didn’t go to Arsenal,” Rodgers was quoted as saying by the Express when asked if it was the competition that put off Vardy. “The one thing I know from Jamie Vardy is he is a team player who loves competition.“He is a competitor, I see it everyday.“He has proven himself to be one of the top strikers in Europe for me.“It was probably a number of things – he was offered a good deal here, felt comfortable, stable here with his family at an incredible club.”"
Fear is one thing that can never be associated with Vardy – unless you’re speaking of the mental impact he has on the opponent.
He has always been up for challenges. We saw that in Leicester’s first season back in the Premier League and we have been seeing it since.
As Rodgers said, Vardy stayed because he wanted to. He loves being a Fox. He’s a hero here in the East Midlands. In a way, he is the face of Leicester. Why would he want to go to a club where he knows he would not be remembered and revered in the same manner?
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He has become a legend here. Had he gone to Arsenal, that would never have happened. No chance.