Brendan Rodgers
Marc Albrighton chose to sign a new contract with Leicester City amid options to move elsewhere, manager Brendan Rodgers has said. The winger penned a new three-year contract in the week, a deal that will take his spell at the King Power Stadium to a decade. Albrighton had one year remaining on his previous contract and that had sparked interest from Burnley, and Rodgers has now admitted that a transfer was on the table for the 31-year-old. Albrighton is one of six 30-somethings in the City side, along with Kasper Schmeichel, Jamie Vardy, Jonny Evans, Eldin Jakupovic, and new signing Ryan Bertrand.
Brendan Rodgers said: “He’s everything I want in the squad. He’s very honest to the game. He’s an outstanding professional, he prepares himself well every single day, and then you see him when he comes into the game, his commitment is first class. There were maybe possibilities for him to leave in the summer. But I’d spoken to him at the end of last season and felt he was a great reference for the team. We’d lost experience with Christian and Wes last season. For me it was always going to be important to keep the likes of Marc, who gives us that experience. His values, everything about him as a guy, is first class. He’s a top-class professional. I’m delighted that he’s signed and I’m looking forward to working with him for these next few years.”
Albrighton was one of City’s best performers against QPR, playing as captain for the final half-hour as they recovered from a two-goal deficit. He was the only City outfield player to be in every single matchday squad last season, while he already ranks inside the club’s top 50 appearance makers with 252 games to his name.
