Former Italian striker Eder has taken the wraps off almost as soon as he joined leicester city But then ended up at Inter Milan instead.
Gianluca Di Marzio Report Comments Following the 39-year-old's appearance on Sky's Calcio Unplugged program today.
After a sensational spell at Sampdoria, where he pushed Gonzalo Higuain into the race for top goalscorer in Serie A, Eder revealed he was on the verge of joining Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City.
"I could have gone to Leicester with coach Ranieri, it was almost done... I left Genoa to go to Milan and almost signed for Leicester."
The deal was well advanced by now, in fact, the striker had already begun preparations for life in England. But then came the twist.
Mancini's call changed his career
Just as Leicester City were closing in, Inter Milan made their move. And this effort came from the top at the Italian club.
He added, "Then I got a call from coach Mancini and also from Ausilio for Inter."
He emphasizes that the decision was not just about the club's reputation. It was about time, visibility and a bigger goal: making Italy's squad for Euro 2016.
“It was also a decision based on the idea of going to the European Championships with the national team… I was a little worried about going to England and not playing,” he concluded.
No regrets at rejecting Leicester
This decision also proved to be the right one for Eder, even though he missed out on winning the Premier League that year.
He secured his place in the Italy squad for Euro 2016 by scoring one of his most memorable goals at that tournament in a win over Sweden and a place in the last 16.
However, he has admitted that he regrets his decision, as he found himself out of the picture at Inter between January and the end of the season. Now he is left to wonder what could have been under Claudio Rainieri and his Leicester giants.
