Leicester completed one of the more unlikely Deadline Day deals when they snapped up Monaco's Youri Tielemans on loan, and the 21-year-old has now explained that it was the lure of the Premier League, as well Foxes' young group of players, that persuaded him to sign up.
The Belgian midfielder has been widely regarded as one of the most exciting talents in world football since graduating from Anderlecht's youth academy, but his career has stalled slightly since making the move to Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco in the summer of 2017.
BREAKING: @LCFC have completed the loan signing of Youri Tielemans on-loan until the end of the season, with Adrien Silva heading to @AS_Monaco until the end of the season. #DeadlineDay
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 31, 2019
Follow all the latest developments here: https://t.co/iCSjYRB2IC pic.twitter.com/7f9oezK3Md
It opened the door for Leicester to secure the midfielder on a six-month loan, however, and he told the club's website about his motivations for signing on the dotted line.
“I’m really excited to get going," he said. 'The Premier League is one of the best leagues in the world and when I was young, I always watched Premier League games.
“I’m really happy to be here and I’m excited to get started on Sunday – I think every kid dreams about playing in the Premier League.
“I think the young squad will help my adaptation inside the group. You have also a lot of experienced players around, so I think the mix of both experience and young players can be really good.”
At 21, Tielemans has already played first-team football for five seasons, and has garnered extensive experience at the highest level of the game - including Champions League and World Cup football.
“I’ve already been part of a World Cup and almost every year I’ve played in the Champions League or the Europa League. It’s a lot of experience that’s coming by and I think it will help me in this new challenge.”
He could make his debut for Leicester this weekend, as the Foxes look to build on their impressive 1-1 draw with Liverpool at Anfield in midweek.
Source : 90min