The 5,000-1 underdog that shocked the soccer world just got a huge boost as their star player turned down a chance to leave

John Clifton/Reuters

After Leicester City’s Cinderella season in the English Premier League that saw them win the title for the first time in club history, the team has received a huge boost in their quest to remain respectable in the league by retaining the services of striker Jamie Vardy.

Vardy signed a new four-year deal with Leicester, the club has announced, ensuring that he’ll be around to help them continue to win for years to come. Even better, Leicester City managed to beat out much-storied Arsenal for his signature.

Coming into the offseason, a big talking point was whether Leicester City would be able to retain any of their key players. Despite winning the title, the fact is that Leicester City is still a relatively small club that would have a hard time standing up financially to some of Europe’s heavyweights. In the case of Vardy, Arsenal, one of England’s most historic clubs, came calling in the hopes of upgrading their attacking options. But Leicester City were able to appeal to Vardy’s better sentiments and convince him to remain with the club.

Retaining Vardy is just the first step of many to ensure that Leicester City can compete with the EPL’s heavyweights. They also face a challenge in retaining two of their other great players in Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante. However, with their now-increased profile, they stand a much better chance of keeping these players, though it’ll still be a fight.