Leicester City have had an incredible season thus far, reaching the very top of the Premier League and leaving a number of huge English clubs in their wake. A big factor in their stunning run of form has been the attacking partnership between Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez, though the latter has stated that he believes his underdog club won’t go on to win the trophy this year.
In an interview with French site BFM TV, Mahrez was asked whether or not he believed Leicester would go on to be champions this year, with him responding: “No, we will not be! We do not have broad enough shoulders. The other teams have bigger numbers. At one point, they’ll take over.”
Leicester currently sit two points clear of Arsenal, who are in second place in the English league ahead of Manchester City and Manchester United. Mahrez has scored 11 goals over the course of the season, just behind goal leaders Vardy and Everton’s Romelu Lukaku, who have scored 15 and 12 goals respectively.
When asked by the interviewer whether he will stay at Leicester until the end of the season, the 24-year-old replied: “It would be best for me to stay. I will not leave in January, it would not be good for my team if I left. If you lose an item like me or Vardy, it may penalize the team. I’d prefer to continue with the team until the end of the year.”
Mahrez also spoke of his disappointment in not having been pursed by a French team, saying: “When I was young… I always liked Marseille. But they did not come and get me.” He added that while many French clubs had expressed interest in him during his time at French Ligue 2 outfit La Harve, there had been no proposals. “I felt [Leicester] really wanted me,” Mahrez said. “I went there without knowing the country. I took a risk… and today I am very glad I took it. All good things have started from the moment I left [La Harve].”
