'So Proud & Honoured' – Soumaré On Joining 'Ambitious' Foxes
The 22-year-old midfielder – a rising star in the French game – joins Patson Daka in signing for the Foxes this summer on a five-year contract after lifting the Ligue 1 title with Lille OSC in extraordinary circumstances last season.
A graduate of the prestigious Paris Saint-Germain academy, where he was often promoted to higher age levels, Soumaré is an established figure for Les Bleus at Under-21 level and made 40 appearances in all competitions for Lille last season, including eight in the UEFA Europa League.
Now, the Noisy-le-Sec native hopes switching to Leicester will enable him to continue realising his potential as the Foxes prepare for their eighth consecutive Premier League season as newly-crowned Emirates FA Cup holders.
"I’m really proud to come to the Premier League and a big club like Leicester," Soumaré told LCFC.com upon joining City. "It’s going to help me to develop my game and progress as a player. I feel like it’s the right step for me.
"It’s a natural progression for me after the interest Leicester showed. It was the most appealing club for me. I like the way they play football. It was the most logical choice for me. I’m so proud and honoured to join this club. I will give my all to make everyone happy."
Soumaré has been particularly impressed by the ambitions at Leicester with Brendan Rodgers striving to continue the Club's rapid growth. As well as lifting the FA Cup in May, the Foxes also secured back-to-back European berths for the first time in their history with a fifth-placed finish in 2020/21.
And conversations with Rodgers about his reputation for nurturing talent and his intentions for the Club's future played a considerable role in persuading Soumaré to join, the exciting midfielder says.
"Leicester is a very ambitious club," he added. "When they spoke to me about their plans and what they wanted from me, I knew straight away I wanted to come here.
"Brendan Rodgers is one of the main factors that made me want to come to the Club. He’s really good at developing young players, he knows them well and gives them their chance. I’ve spoken to him already and it went well."
Soumaré will link up with his new team-mates later this summer, but one figure he knows well is France Under-21s colleague Wesley Fofana. The rise of City's popular No.3 in England was another motivating factor for Leicester's newest recruit – who has pledged to give his all for the Club.
"I spoke to Wesley about the Club, the environment and everything around it and he only had good things to say," the 22-year-old continued.
"He’s already achieved so much with the Club in a short space of time and it’s massive. It’s encouraging to see another young French player doing so well after making the move. He’s a great guy.
"I think the best way to describe myself is a team player who gives everything on the pitch. It was an amazing feeling [to win the league with Lille], a truly unique feeling and I would love to be successful with Leicester in future. It’s given me a desire to achieve more.
"I’m excited to join this Leicester City team. I will give everything for the team and for the Club."