Vardy rejected other offers to join Cremonese
Jamie Vardy has officially been unveiled as a Cremonese player following his Serie A move, but his career could have taken a different path.
Jamie Vardy says he rejected other clubs in order to seal his move to Cremonese following his departure from Leicester City.
Vardy's move to Serie A was confirmed on deadline day, with the 38-year-old signing a one-year contract with the newly promoted club, with a further year on offer if they manage to avoid relegation.
Having left Leicester after 13 years at the club, in which he won the Premier League title and an FA Cup, Vardy was reportedly linked with Feyenoord, Wrexham and Celtic.
Vardy refused to name which clubs he turned down but noted how important head coach Davide Nicola was in his decision to choose Cremonese.
"I don't feel like naming the clubs I rejected. I made the decision with my family, and I'm very happy," said Vardy during his unveiling.
"When we talked about this possibility, I took many factors into consideration: first and foremost, my family.
"Luckily, technology helped us. I spoke on video with the coach for about 45-60 minutes, and he instilled his passion in me.
"I'm working to be ready when the coach needs me. If I think of Italy and an idol, I say Del Piero. I watched him a lot as a child."
Cremonese have begun their time in Serie A with two wins, including a shock victory over AC Milan in their league opener.
As such, they sit joint-top of the league as one of four teams to make a perfect start, and have scored the second-most goals in the division (five).
Vardy drew parallels between his time at Leicester and hopes his new club continue to cause surprises after their impressive start.
"I spoke to [president Giovanni] Arvedi and Davide Nicola, and I understood that the primary objective at the start of the season is survival, just like it was at Leicester," he added.
"Clearly, match after match, we give 100%. In football, anyone can beat anyone; that is what we train for.
"During my whole career, I have been underestimated, and I worked to prove everyone wrong, and I have succeeded in doing that. I get that at the start of the season, almost no one believed that Cremonese would survive.
"The coach, however, with his work ethic, wants to avoid relegation at all costs. It has been a great start, but we know it will be a long season. The fight to beat the odds is what convinced me to join."
Vardy could make his debut for the club on Monday, when they travel to Verona in Serie A.
