Leicester City star Jamie Vardy has revealed he rejected Arsenal because he felt their style of play did not suit him.
The England international led Leicester to a stunning Premier League title triumph last season, scoring 24 goals.
The 29-year-old’s fine performances prompted Arsenal to trigger his release cause, but Vardy was worried about Arsenal’s possession-based style and eventually signed a new deal with Leicester instead.
“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 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.”
The forward played down the significance of loyalty and his team-mates in deciding to stay at the King Power Stadium.
“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,” Vardy wrote.
“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.”
Vardy has made a slower start to this campaign, netting twice in six league games with Ranieri’s men sitting 12th in the table.