‘A No Brainer For Me’ - Mavididi Speaks
The 25-year-old arrived in Leicestershire from Montpellier on Monday, becoming Enzo Maresca’s latest new signing ahead of the new Sky Bet Championship season.
Settling into his new home, the Foxes forward spent time around LCFC Training Ground for the first time this week, explaining why he felt it was the right moment to return to the UK.
“I’m honestly happy and delighted to be here,” the attacker revealed. “Speaking to the Manager and some of the staff here, it was a no brainer for me. Obviously, the size and history of the Club speaks for itself.
“The facilities, the training ground and the stadium, it’s amazing. I feel like we have all the tools needed here to work hard and be successful, so it’s a nice environment to work in.
“Personally, I wanted to come back to England, I felt like it was time to come home and continue my football here. It was one that was in the pipeline for a while and myself and my family are just happy that it is over the line now.”
Mavididi is no stranger to making bold moves, taking steps to enhance his development as a young player. Many may have struggled to adapt to playing for Juventus or in Ligue 1, but he grasped the opportunities with both hands.
“I moved to Italy and was out there for a year,” Mavididi explained, giving insight into his career to date. “I felt like that was a good experience for me. It was a brave step to make at a stage in my career. After that, I went to France and was there for four years.
“With these two experiences, I’ve grown and matured a lot and learnt lots about life in general and about football. It’s always nice to see a change and a different style of play to what you are used to.
“It’s good for yourself to learn new things in football. My past experiences have been successful because I’ve learnt and I’ve grown as a person and as a player. That was the main thing for me.”
The Championship is a league Mavididi is familiar with, from a loan spell at Preston North End, and with all eyes on preparations for the first fixture of the campaign at home to Coventry City on Sunday, he’s hoping to be able to hit the ground running at King Power Stadium.
A first chat with the Manager has only heightened his excitement to start his Foxes journey and begin a promotion push.
Mavididi Raring To Go With The Foxes
New Leicester City signing Stephy Mavididi sits down for his first interview as a Foxes player.
The former England youth international added: “I’ve previously played in the Football League - in League 1 and the Championship briefly. I know what it takes to compete in this league. Obviously, it’s not going to be easy, but I’m looking forward to it.
“Every attacker loves to score goals, especially me, so my job is to work hard first and foremost for the team, to help with goals and assisting my team-mates to score. I saw some of them briefly this morning coming back from Asia.
“I was just upstairs having some breakfast with the new Manager and we were just talking about the style of play. I just can’t wait to get started and crack on. I feel like pre-season is there to prepare us for the season. So, everyone is raring to go and excited to get the season underway.”