Leicester City players will stay, says Hartson

Premier League champions Leicester City will feel they can do “something special” and that means the team will stay together next season, believes former Wales striker John Hartson.

“I genuinely feel this group of players will not have any sort of plans to move on,” Hartson, 41, told BBC Sport.
The Foxes, 5,000-1 outsiders, could earn £150m from winning the title.

And Hartson said the players’ agents will be “having a field day” sorting out new, improved deals.
Midfielder N’Golo Kante, forward Riyad Mahrez – the Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Year – and striker Jamie Vardy, who was named the Football Writers’ Footballer of the Year, have been linked with moves to Europe’s biggest clubs.

“They could earn a little bit more money elsewhere, they could play in any team, but they will feel they want to do something special,” continued Hartson.

“Leicester players are in a wonderful place together. They are a close knit team, adored by the city, total legends.
“The mentality of the players is they have worked so hard to get here, ‘let’s take on the might of Europe, let’s do it together’.”

Former Arsenal, West Ham, Luton and Celtic striker Hartson added: “If I was a Leicester player, I have just won the league, scored a bag full of goals, got into the Champions League, I would want to put my feet up for a couple of weeks and then could not wait to get back into it.”

‘The players adore Ranieri’

Hartson believes manager Claudio Ranieri will be important in keeping the team together.

But he says the Italian will need to add some “world class players” to his squad to cope with the demands of the Champions League.

“Ranieiri is a manager you would go the extra yard for,” said Hartson.