In an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News, King discusses his triumphs at Leicester, how Rodgers improved Vardy, the impact of the King Power takeover and his search for a new challenge
Wednesday 29 July 2020 10:17, UK
Andy King has seen it all in his 15-year run at Leicester City.
The 31-year-old has spent nearly half his life with the Foxes and remarkably, is the only player to have ever won the title in each of the top three tiers of English football with the same club.
"Does it seem less extraordinary now? The answer is no, it's still hard to put into words" he told Sky Sports News, still struggling to sum up what that achievement means to him.
"It's still an amazing achievement and one where you wake up and are thankful that you were there at that time when everything clicked into place."
Before those glory days however, King was a part of the Foxes side which dropped all the way down to League One in 2008 for the first time in the club's history.
If that relegation into the third tier was the nadir, the 2010 club takeover by the King Power Group and the subsequent arrival of the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and his son Aiyawatt 'Top' was the first chapter of the fairytale story that was to come.
"None of what has happened in the last 10 years happens without Vichai and Top buying the club," King insists.
"The rise Leicester have had since King Power bought the club has been monumental and they capped it with a title win as well, the ultimate prize.
"When they said that to begin with they got laughed out the room. Fair play to them."
In recent seasons, King has seen himself drop down the pecking order in Leicester's midfield and has been forced to go out on loan to Swansea, Derby County, Huddersfield and Rangers in search of minutes.
Having already tasted success at the King Power, he wants to rekindle that feeling and be part of a club that is building something special.
"I've seen what's possible going through promotions and success. I think if you ask anyone who tasted success what drives them, they'll say they want it again. I'm desperate to have that somewhere else now.
"I want to go somewhere where they are fighting to achieve something, whether that is staying in a league or getting promoted. I want to feel a part of something again.
"I want to be somewhere settled. I want to know that we are playing for something and the manager wants to play the right way. These loan experiences have educated me. At Leicester I had only seen it one way.
Thirty-three-year-old Jamie Vardy won the Premier League Golden Boot for the first time in his career, finishing the season with 23 goals.
Despite his increased goal output, King believes the former non-league striker is now more of an all-round player and says Brendan Rodgers managed to tweak the now-veteran forward's game to maximise it.
"He's more of an all-round player now. I think Brendan has done a good job of making sure he's fresh in and around the penalty box.
"In pre-season he was saying we don't want you running out in the channels and pressing full-backs. Make sure you have your high energy and speed around the goal.
"That's helped him, having the confidence from the manager. His hold up play and link play has really improved."
