Esteban Cambiasso was an instrumental part of Leicester City’s surprising run to Premier League safety, a bulldog in the Foxes’ midfield for Nigel Pearson.
But Pearson has been fired, and now Cambiasso is leaving, too. Less than 24 hours after receiving a contract offer, the Argentine told his bosses he wouldn’t be returning for a second season.
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Cambiasso, 34, issued a grateful statement on his official Facebook page, saying he wanted to give the club as much time as possible to find an alternative.
From LCFC.com:Our efforts to retain his services began before the end of last season and the Club appreciates the professional manner in which Esteban and his representatives have conducted themselves during negotiations since that time.
We fully respect Esteban’s wishes and wish him well in his future career.
#ThankYouEsteban
Cambiasso had been linked with MLS before he left Inter Milan for King Power Stadium, but his performance with Leicester will surely have garnered interest from around the world.
He scored five goals for Leicester in 31 Premier League starts after spending 2004-14 with Inter. Before that, he spent his youth time with Real Madrid, heading back to Argentina with River Plate and Independiente before returning to spend 2002-04 with Real.
Cambiasso still has it, and will be a productive player somewhere. Now will the Foxes be able to thrive without him?