Boubakary Soumare’s move to Leicester may not have set the world on fire so far, but the French midfielder is certainly keen to fix it.
The 23-year-old is a product of the Paris Saint-Germain academy and made eight appearances for the club’s B team before joining Lille.
Getty
Soumare has gone through a difficult period since joining Leicester last summer
Getty
The midfielder’s first season at the club didn’t go exactly as he would have liked
This is where the defensive midfielder made his professional debut aged 18, going on to make 112 appearances for the club.
Such was the level of his influence, Soumare made 43 appearances in his final season with the club as he helped Lille win the Ligue 1 title.
Despite preparing for the opportunity to defend his French title and compete in the Champions League, the midfielder completed a move worth an estimated £17million to Leicester that summer , a deal he describes as “flattering”.
Speaking to talkSPORT.com, he said: “The reason I chose Leicester was because I was aware they were following me and had shown a lot of interest in me as a player for quite a while. during my stay in Lille and so it was almost like a logical conclusion.
“We had discussions, they came to fruition and I was delighted to sign for Leicester.
“Like I said, they had shown a lot of interest and I was flattered. It was very flattering the way they conducted their business, the way they followed my career and my performance and so it was the right thing to do.
Getty
Soumare was linked with leaving Leicester but the midfielder called it ‘noise’
Soumare’s first season at the club was a tricky one after he was limited to just 12 Premier League starts.
“On a personal level, it’s been a real one-season learning curve for me. I’ve learned both on and off the pitch,” Soumare explained.
“There were some disappointments because you always want to play more as a player.
“As a footballer you want to be on the pitch longer, but in that respect I’ve been playing more regularly this season and from a personal point of view things are improving a lot this time around.”
A lack of playing time has led to intense transfer speculation regarding a departure from the King Power Stadium for Soumare.
Getty
Rodgers was delighted Soumare chose to stay with Leicester this summer
Monaco were reportedly close to signing the player, while Rennes, Roma, Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest were also keen on a move, but Brendan Rodgers revealed at the end of the summer that Soumare had flip-flopped on a move potential. pleasure of the boss of Leicester.
But according to the 23-year-old, a move was never his first choice.
He said: “First and foremost, I didn’t sign for this club just to play a season.
“There may have been a bit of noise and speculation in the media, but I always thought of my first season as being, not a set-up for the whole season, but maybe an adaptation to the league. English.
“It happens a lot, then in the second season I really got going.
Getty
The 23-year-old says he feels like a different player this season
“As soon as pre-season started I came back very, very determined to work hard from minute one to be ready and in the manager’s plans to put in a great run of performances all season.
“As I said before, I spoke to the manager because he was talking about maybe clubs in Italy, France and even England being interested in me, but I was focused on my second season and Leicester and I wanted to do well.
“I told the manager that while I am here at the club you can be assured that you will get 100 per cent from me in terms of performance in training and in matches.”
With a summer of speculation now behind him, Soumare is starting to show his undoubted quality at the King Power Stadium.
However, with Leicester struggling near the bottom of the table, the midfielder insisted the aim for the coming weeks was to get the Foxes’ season back on track.
Getty
Soumare is a popular figure with his Leicester teammates and he hopes to help the team escape their current relegation battle.
Getty
The French star has already started four times in the Premier League this season
Soumare explained: “Obviously it’s not the kind of start we would have liked.
“No one wants to be bottom of the table and what we are all focused on now is working as hard as possible in every training session and working as a group to put Leicester back in the position they deserve. to be, which is higher. ascend the league.
“As a club we recognize that we are not where we want to be in the league, but personally it is like I am a different person.
“I think it was kind of a learning curve last season and I feel like I know everything I need to know about the English game and I’m up to date and really enjoying my football.”
Leicester City vs Crystal Palace is live on talkSPORT at 12.30pm on Saturday October 15
