‘Leaving the Premier League was one of the best choice I ever made’
Conor Coady believes he made a brave decision to quit the Premier League to join Leicester City – and it turned out to be one of the best decisions of his career.
The experienced defender left Wolves to secure regular football with the Foxes in the Championship. And the bold move worked an absolute treat with manager’s Enzo Maresca’s terrific side promoted back to the top flight.
“It’s incredible,” beamed Coady. “To go through a full season like we have, well the boys have been incredible. I dropped out of the Premier League to come to Leicester, so to be going back to the Premier League, well it’s justified as well.
“It fills me with pride and, to be honest, I’m not someone who thinks too much about myself. But to do it with this club, especially the way we have, has just been brilliant.
“I’ve been lucky enough to play for some fantastic football clubs, I really have, but this one is another one of them. From top to bottom, from the owner, the staff, the manager and the players, it’s amazing.
(Image: Getty Images)
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“It’s justified we’ve got promoted. Leicester is a huge football club and I couldn’t wait to get here.”
Coady joined the Foxes for £7.5million last summer but managed to play in just 12 of Leicester’s league games this season. But his experience around the side proved invaluable.
He added: “Our goal at the start of the season was to get promoted as champions – and we’ve gone and done it. It was no secret what we wanted to do because that’s what the club needs and where the club has to be.
“The players, the manager and the staff have produced when it’s mattered. It’s been an incredible season for us, absolutely fantastic. We’ll celebrate well.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The Foxes secured promotion from the second tier with two games to spare, but a 3-0 demolition of Preston North End at Deepdale was the victory which deservedly saw them crowned Championship champions.
And 31-year-old centre back Coady, who was on loan at Everton for much of last season, believes the club had to stay focused with so many people tipping them to automatically guarantee their way back into the top flight.
“Listen, I think everybody thought we were going to cruise it in February, but it was never ever going to be like that – and we knew that,” stressed Coady, who won promotion with Hull in the 2017-2018 season.
(Image: Getty Images)
“We’ve been fantastic and done what we needed to do. The supporters pay good money to come and watch us, winning the league is for them.
“Leicester City getting promoted or Leicester City winning anything, well it’s all for the supporters and what they do. It’s incredible for them, incredible for us and incredible for the whole football club.
“You’ll have seen the celebrations with the owner [after we got promoted], I can’t get over how close this football club actually is. I think it’s absolutely incredible.
“The boys have been fantastic this year.”
