Exclusive: Harry Winks opens up on ‘no brainer decision to join Leicester City despite reported interest from elsewhere
Leicester City midfielder Harry Winks has said his decision to join the club was a ‘no-brainer’ from the minute he heard of the Foxes’ interest.
Leicester City made midfielder Winks their first signing of the Enzo Maresca era in early July, bringing him in from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth a reported £10m. It brought an end to a long-term affiliation with Spurs, where he made his senior breakthrough and earned England caps.
A player of his pedigree had interest from elsewhere though. Leicester’s Championship rivals Leeds United were also claimed to be admirers by reporter Ben Jacobs in an interview with City Chat.
Now, speaking exclusively to Sky Bet on behalf of The72, Winks has opened up on his decision to make the move to the King Power.
He explained that he was keen to get an early move to allow him to have a full pre-season and when he was told of the Foxes’ interest, the decision was a ‘no-brainer’. He said:
“I signed for Leicester early in the in the window and I wanted to get a full pre-season. I didn’t want to go back to Tottenham and wait around and see what was going on and then maybe not get a full pre-season. I wanted my future settled as soon as I could when I came back from holiday.
“I wanted to be in and working with a club, and as soon as my agent told me about Leicester, for me it was a no-brainer, they’re a huge club, it was an exciting moment after speaking to the manager as well. I just want to be part of something and fight for something rather than playing somewhere where it’s not going to be as exciting as this. This project is so exciting and to come here, fight for something and to try and gain promotion is really exciting for everybody, so that was that was the main reasons why I joined.
“Leicester as a club speaks for itself, it’s a huge club, the name, the infrastructure, the fans, the training ground, everything sort speaks for itself. From a personal level I wanted to get in a full preseason, get as fit as I could, and to start playing as quickly as possible.”
A positive start
It’s not been a bad start to life at Leicester City either. Winks has played the full 90 minutes in all five Championship games so far, with the Foxes winning their first four before a 1-0 loss to Hull City just before the international break.
Winks has made a good impression in the middle of the park and looks set for an influential role in Maresca’s side as they bid to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Next up for Leicester is an away clash with Southampton on Friday night. The two sides are tipped to fight it out at the top of the table this season, so it could be an early indicator of who has the edge in the battle for promotion.
