"I made my decision and that's the decision I stuck with and I was happy with"
Tuesday 30 January 2018 15:57, UK
Jamie Vardy has re-iterated he was in no doubt over his decision to snub the advances of Arsenal and stay with Leicester.
The England international had the option to leave Leicester in June 2016 for the Emirates Stadium when the release clause in his previous contract was triggered by Arsene Wenger's side but opted to stay at the King Power Stadium and sign a new four-year contract.
Vardy was away on international duty with England at Euro 2016 at the time and said his surroundings made the decision "easier".
When asked whether the transfer window can be a difficult period for a player, Vardy told Sky Sports News: "I think it was easier for me because I was in a hotel in France anyway.
"So I had plenty of time to think about everything. I made my decision and that's the decision I stuck with and I was happy with."
Leicester boss Claude Puel has engineered a successful turnaround in fortunes since replacing Craig Shakespeare in October, losing three Premier League matches from 15 fixtures to help the Foxes rise away from relegation trouble to seventh - the highest position they have been since winning the Premier League title.
Vardy added: "I think it shows the football we are playing, to be honest with you, and the confidence we have got running through the team with how we have been set up by the manager."
Leicester, who meet Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday in the reverse fixture of Puel's opening match in charge, struggled to replicate their remarkable 2015/16 title-winning campaign last season but impressed in the Champions League, reaching the quarter-finals, and Vardy believes European football remains a "realistic target" for the Foxes.
"It would be great to play in Europe again but we have not been sat down and had any set targets handed to us personally," Vardy said.
"We have just been taking it game by game but I think with the position we are in and some of the football we have been playing you have got to put that down as a realistic target."
