Leicester City midfielder Dennis Praet has insisted he doesn’t regret his move to the club, even if they did block him from an ideal move to Torino.
The Belgian has been speaking to Het Nieuwsblad about his plans for the summer and his time at Leicester as he gears up to move on as a free agent.
His contract with the Foxes is up in the summer and both parties will be going their separate ways after something of a frustration five-year relationship.
He originally joined in a €19m deal from Sampdoria in August 2019 but was never able to establish himself properly, largely due to several injury issues.
It means his total for the club is far below what most would expect given the time he’s been there, but the 29-year-old insists he doesn’t regret a thing.
“I don’t regret it,” he said.
“I really wanted to go to the Premier League, that choice was quickly made. I have also experienced many beautiful moments. But yeah, I just wanted to play a lot more. That’s the painful part.
“I’m at the end of my contract and ready for something new. I am now 29 and physically at the peak of my career. I definitely want to become important somewhere again, so that I can find the fun in the game again.”
While he may not regret the move to Leicester, he certainly was left disappointed by their decision to block a permanent move to Torino in 2022.
He joined the Italian club in August 2021 and was a regular for them that year, establishing himself as a key player and making 24 appearances in all competitions.
They were very much keen on a permanent deal and held talks with Leicester throughout the summer but the Foxes demands proved too high and a permanent move never came to fruition.
That clearly left Praet disappointed, although he insists he never made a fuss behind the scenes regardless.
“Yes, but it never happened,” he said when asked about the option in the past.
“In Leicester they thought I was a bit too good, too useful, too versatile to let me go cheaply. I’m not an argumentative person either, I’m not the man to push through a transfer. But Torino is a team I would definitely listen to now.”
