Remember when supporters around Emirates were wearing ‘Number 26‘ jerseys with Riyad Mahrez printed on the back. Well, they weren’t wrong in their expectations as Riyad Mahrez reveals how close he was to join Arsenal from Leicester City in 2016…
Leicester had just won the Premier League beating all the odds and big giants started their picks to get those overachievers in their squad. N’Golo Kante went to Chelsea while Jamie Vardy was linked with a move to Arsenal as it seemed Riyad Mahrez was all done.
Now Manchester City winger has revealed how close he was to don twenty-six jersey for Arsenal and mainly how Leicester City frustrated him, keeping him for nearly two years and not signing him up for big clubs rather.
Mahrez told France Football: “After the title, if I’d left for a top team, it wouldn’t have been the same story.
“For me, it’s clear that I lost two years at the highest level. I lost two years! Because instead of arriving at City at 27, I could have been there at 24, 25.
“Leicester blocked me. They told me: ‘You’re not leaving, you’re not leaving’.
“My agent had spoken to [Arsene] Wenger who really wanted me. It was nearly all done with Arsenal in 2016. I was really frustrated.
“It wasn’t easy to go from being the best player in the Premier League to being a part of a team fighting against relegation.
“It’s not the same job. Everyone is waiting for you around the corner.”
