Youri Tielemans has hinted that he does not regret staying at Leicester City this summer, despite admitting how “tough” it is at the club currently.
Tielemans has entered the final year of his contract with Leicester. They might have been expected to sell him in the summer just gone. The midfielder had many admirers, some of whom are now eyeing an opportunity to sign him in 2023.
For example, he has still been linked with Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle with a view to January or the summer. Each of them is in a better position than Leicester at present.
Indeed, Tielemans’ current club sit bottom of the Premier League after seven matches. They have not won any of them, only picking up one point after a draw with Brentford on the opening day.
Most recently, they suffered a comprehensive 6-2 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend. The September international break has probably come at a good time for them so they can refocus.
Tielemans will be hoping to enjoy a better time with Belgium in their fixtures against Wales and the Netherlands. After that, it will be back to business with Leicester in October.
For now, the 25-year-old is glad he can get away from his current situation at club level.
“I’m happy to get a bit of fresh air here [with Belgium] because it’s tough at Leicester right now,” Tielemans told a press conference.
“It’s clear that things are not going well at the club. We are doing everything we can as a team.
“At Leicester, the consecutive defeats have affected us as a group. We need to benefit from this break to recharge our batteries.
“It’s hard to get it off my mind as it keeps running through my head. Only my kids sometimes prevent me from thinking about it.”
Tielemans tries to divert contract focus
Given the present mood at the King Power Stadium, it may have been preferable for Tielemans to pursue an exit in the summer. However, he is now stuck there until the new year.
The former Monaco man, though, does not want to go into the details. In fact, he is keen to see the other side of the situation by explaining why he doesn’t need to regret staying.
“I’m not going to speak too much about my contract situation at the moment,” he replied.
“I didn’t leave Leicester in the summer as I always said the project had to be the right one.
“Just because things are getting worse now at Leicester doesn’t mean I should regret [staying].”
To date, Tielemans has made 166 appearances for Leicester, scoring 25 goals and providing the same number of assists.
He would be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from January. Alternatively, he could wait until the end of his contract to find another club in the Premier League – unless one is willing to pay for him already in the winter.
